Train derailment in East Palestine Pollutes Surrounding Areas and greatly affects the lives of the area’s residents.

While most of the 150 train cars did not contain hazardous materials some did. Not all 150 cars were derailed.

Only around 40 were derailed, however over 11 of these specific cars were confirmed to be carrying hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, a toxic gas known to cause liver cancer.

Because of this local officials did a “controlled burn” on the train cars as an attempt to remove the flammable gas, though many found this odd because the burning appeared to only spread the harmful gas more.

While burning the chemicals residents were forced to evacuate the area until it concluded.

ABC Channel 5 News Cleveland reported that 54% of residents had complained of headaches and nausea, along with over 3,500 fish dying in nearby waterways.

The Governor has stated that the chemical’s presence and the river have recently dissipated.

The company responsible for the disaster is Norfolk Southern, a multibillion-dollar transportation company that moves chemical, agricultural, metal, and construction products.

The testing done to confirm the water supply was safe was done by a third-party contractor hired by Norfolk Southern, which when testing did not fulfill all of the proper requirements the guaranteed safety.

The state of Ohio is currently suing Norfolk Southern over the derailment forcing the company to pay for the clean-up and environmental damage caused by the incident.

The lawsuit also requires Norfolk Southern to pay for soil and groundwater monitoring.

The concerns of the citizens are that Norfolk Southern being responsible for the cleanup is instead doing a “cover-up” of a greater danger.

Many citizens were told that they were fine despite having symptoms that match exposure to chemicals present in the area. It will not be clear how great the long-term damages will be.