Train that derailed in the USA raises alert after releasing toxic material into the atmosphere

Information about deaths and injuries is still not concrete, despite it being a few days since the accident, between Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The news had received little attention internationally until this Monday (13), when some of the local residents were allowed to return to their homes after being removed from the area.

Due to the severity of the explosions and the toxic material spread within a radius of more than a kilometer and a half, the issue became a news item and a topic of discussion on social media. 

The case ended up taking on alarming proportions and even drew the attention of North American congressmen:

Understand what happened

In the cars that did not explode during the derailment, authorities decided to release the toxic gas into the environment in a manipulated way, according to them, fearing another explosion.

Although North American authorities guarantee that there is no more danger, people living around the accident fear poisoning and claim that animals are dying due to the materials thrown into the atmosphere. 

On social media there are reports of journalists being prevented from arriving at the scene and even from recording images. 

Conspiracy theories and a new Chernobyl

Even a catastrophic speech is circulating on Twitter, comparing the train accident with the explosion at the Chernobyl atomic plant in 1986. 

Vinyl chloride, a gas released during derailment, is used in the manufacture of plastic products and packaging materials. In an explosion of this material, a highly toxic substance is propagated. 

According to local radio station Newsnation, environmental regulators are monitoring the air and water in neighboring communities and said that so far air quality remains safe and drinking water supplies have not been affected.

Peter DeCarlo, a professor of environmental health at Johns Hopkins University, told The Washington Post that, “If there are still residual chemical emissions, it still poses a danger to people in the area.”

Curto Curatorship:

• Residents wonder if it's safe to return after toxic train derailment (The Washington Post)
• Health Concerns Rise in Ohio After Derailment (Newsnation)

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