Videos and images are circulating about the effects of the derailment and subsequent fire of a train with chemical products in Ohio (United States).We clarify what we know so far.According to the report issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on February 3, 2023 at around 8:55 p.m. local time (at 2:55 a.m. on February 4, Spanish peninsular time) a freight train derailment occurred in East Palestine, Ohio.The cause of the derailment could have been a mechanical problem in the axle of a wagon, according to the Associated Press news agency citing the National Transportation Safety Board of the United States.The train carried 150 cars, of which 20 were classified as carriers of hazardous materials, the EPA continues.A total of 50 carriages were affected by the derailment.On February 6, a statement from the Governor of Ohio reported that five railcars contained vinyl chloride, a gas not found in nature that is used to make PVC plastic.The specific content of 52 wagons has been reflected in a document prepared by the company that owns the trains and published by the EPA on February 12.Among the 50 affected by the derailment, there are five containers with vinyl chloride.The status of each container is indicated in the right column.The derailment sparked a fire on the materials contained in some wagons, which remained active until at least February 5, although reducing its intensity, according to the Associated Press citing the National Transportation Safety Board of the United States.The note published by the news agency indicates that the authorities had declared a state of emergency and issued evacuation orders for the inhabitants of the surrounding area.According to the Ohio Governor's statement on February 6, the instability of the vinyl chloride inside the containers posed a risk of explosion, so authorities planned a controlled burn for 3:30 a.m. local time on February 6.The “chemical release” would last between one and three hours.A second statement on February 8 indicated that evacuated residents in and around East Palestine could return home “safely.”As of at least February 9, no people were reported injured by the accident or by the release of the chemicals, according to the Associated Press.Breathing or drinking vinyl chloride can cause health problems depending on how much you are exposed to, as well as how long and how often you are exposed.Breathing vinyl chloride in "extremely high" amounts can be fatal;prolonged exposure to the gas can cause liver, nerve and immune system damage, according to the Ohio Department of Health fact sheet.In addition, vinyl chloride was classified in 2018 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as carcinogenic to humans.The strongest evidence points to it causing liver cancer, according to the agency.On the other hand, burning vinyl chloride gives rise to hydrogen chloride and phosgene, authorities have reported according to the Associated Press.Hydrogen chloride can irritate the skin, nose, eyes, throat, and larynx, and phosgene can irritate the eyes, cause dry and burning throat, vomiting, cough, frothy sputum, shortness of breath, and chest pain.The governor's statement on February 6 indicated that the fumes released by the combustion of vinyl chloride and other chemicals contained in the wagons "can be fatal if inhaled."A red zone and a yellow zone were established according to the level of risk taking into account the weather conditions and the expected flow of smoke and gases.Staying in the red zone carried serious danger of death, while staying in the yellow zone could cause "serious injuries, including skin burns and severe lung damage," the text reads.Since the day after the derailment occurred, the EPA has evaluated possible air contamination in the affected areas, through real-time monitoring and taking samples sent to the laboratory, as indicated by its updated accident report.The analysis of samples takes longer to give results but they are more precise, the document clarifies.Prior to the controlled burn, the organization tested for the presence of volatile organic compounds, including vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate, and levels of carbon monoxide, oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen cyanide, phosgene, and hydrogen chloride. .Real-time monitoring showed amounts “below detection levels for most contaminants, except for airborne particles [tiny solid and liquid traces in the air],” according to the organization.After the controlled burning of February 6, the monitoring and sampling points changed locations.“During yesterday's controlled burning by Norfolk Southern [the railway company responsible for the train] of cars containing vinyl chloride, EPA air monitoring detected particles from the fire (...) no chemical contaminants of concern were detected in the hours after the controlled burn,” the report reads.“Air monitoring since the fire was extinguished has not detected any levels of concern in the community that can be attributed to the incident at this time.For example, there have been some cases of exceeding the detection values ​​of PM 2.5 [particles in suspension with a diameter of 2.5 microns], but they have occurred both in the area that received the smoke and in the area opposite, so they probably have another cause,” the February 12 update reads.Air tests are also being carried out inside homes.By that date, 291 homes had been inspected without detecting vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride.On February 4th, accident response teams found contaminated water flowing into two creeks (Sulfur Run and Leslie Run) and “impact on aquatic life”, so they installed barriers and containment dikes to stop the flow and pick up the product.Samples were also taken.As of February 5, the East Palestine water treatment plant was not affected.The EPA found spilled materials at Sulfur Run, specifically oily product leaking from a tank car that was collecting on the ground.Norfolk Southern was notified of the spill and began removing the product with a vacuum truck.Work to remove pollution from the rivers continued with various methods until at least February 10 and new samples were taken, although the agency has not yet published the results.A letter sent by the EPA to Norfolk Southern reveals damage to other small rivers, specifically Bull Creek, North Fork Little Beaver Creek and Little Beaver Creek, as well as the larger Ohio River, although the points affected are not specified.A journalist has been arrested.This is Evan Lambert from NewsNation television.It happened on February 8, five days after the accident, when he was doing a live report for his network.At that moment, at least four agents approached and asked him to stop speaking because the Ohio governor was simultaneously giving a press conference, indicates the medium for which he works.He was released the same day.He is charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.Please, he reads and accepts the Privacy Policy.We create journalistic tools so that you don't get caught: Damn Newspaper Library, Damn Hoax, Damn Science, Damn Data and Damn Technology.