Days after a freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, its effect can still be seen in the sky – massive, ominous black clouds hovering over nearby towns, even blocking out sunlight.

The accident has caused a major environmental catastrophe as carcinogenic materials have contaminated nearby waterways, soil and the air while threatening the lives of thousands of residents.

Although the impact on people's health remains unknown, residents have already reported experiencing various symptoms, including nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness and headaches.

On February 3, fifty cars on a freight train operated by Norfolk Southern Railway company derailed, causing a massive fire followed by the release of toxic chemicals Vinyl chloride, a carcinogen, and butyl acrylate. 

"It is unclear how much of this volatile chemical escaped into the air or burned before entering surface waters and soil, but vinyl chloride is highly mobile in soil and water and can persist for years in groundwater," Cornell University soil and crop scientist Murray McBride told the Washington Post.

Three days later, emergency management authorities performed a "controlled release" of the remaining chemicals, which was supposed to prevent explosions and quickly disperse the toxic gases. Instead, it created a 100-food plume similar to a mushroom cloud. Due to health concerns, thousands of residents in the surrounding area were evacuated. 

"We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open," a former battalion chief in Ohio's nearby Youngstown Fire Department with expertise on hazardous materials named Sil Caggiano told a local news station, WKBN.

On Wednesday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine told CNN that residents living near the accident site should not drink the water out of an abundance of caution.

Authorities have confirmed that the hazardous chemicals have spilled into the Ohio River, which covers 14 states and provides drinking water to more than 5 million people. The state also confirmed the contaminated waterways have led to the deaths of thousands of fish, raising public concerns about the long-term dangers of residual toxic substances.

In a town hall meeting on Wednesday, hundreds of angry and confused residents packed into a local high school gym, waiting to hear about the dangers they face. Missing from the event is representatives from the Norfolk Southern Railroad company, which cited concerns about a "growing physical threat to our employees."

Power of train lobby

Ron Kaminkow, an Amtrak locomotive engineer and former Norfolk Southern freight engineer, told The Guardian that ineffective oversight and a largely self-monitoring industry that has cut the nation's rail workforce to the bone in recent years as it puts record profits over safety is responsible for the wreck in Ohio.

Federal government data shows that train derailments have become common in the U.S. in recent years, averaging thousands each year, with some leading to major catastrophes.

In 2014, a derailment in Casselton, North Dakota, spilled nearly 500,000 gallons of crude oil and caused $13.5 million in damage, prompting the Obama administration to propose new safety regulations for trains carrying hazardous materials.

However, pressure from the train lobby groups, including Norfolk Southern, ultimately limited the measure to focus only on the transport of crude oil while trains carrying other dangerous materials, including the primary chemicals involved in the Ohio disaster, were exempted.

When the regulation was enacted in 2015, they were limited in scope and required only electronic brakes to be installed by 2023 while applying only to certain "high-hazard flammable trains" carrying at least 20 consecutive loaded cars filled with liquids like crude oil.

In 2017, after industry donors delivered over $6 million to GOP campaigns, the Trump administration rescinded part of the rule aimed at upgrading outdated braking systems on rails nationwide, saying the cost exceeded the benefits.  

Data from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) shows over 107,000 railroad accidents nationally over the past decade, killing at least 7,800 people. Among them, over 12,000 were train derailments, which means an average of 3.4 accidents a day in the country.

"The Palestine wreck is the tip of the iceberg and a red flag," said Kaminkow, who is secretary for the Railroad Workers United, a non-profit labor group that coordinates with the nation's rail unions. "If something is not done, then it's going to get worse, and the next derailment could be cataclysmic."