On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern train derailed, crashed and spilled toxic substances in East Palestine, Ohio. When emergency responders arrived a controlled burn took place and thus caused one the United States’ most prolific environmental disasters to date. Weeks after, residents of the town of less than 5,000 complained about ailments caused by the spill and fire. State and federal officials have said repeatedly that they have yet to detect dangerous levels of chemicals in the air or municipal water. Butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride are just a couple of the toxic chemicals that spilled. When responders decided to do a controlled burn, they inadvertently created a chemical weapon. Vinyl chloride turns into hydrogen chloride gas: a gas which was used for biological warfare purposes during World War I and which unfortunately also seeps into the ground, causing issues with local water reserves. Ultimately, when it was decided to initiate a controlled burn of the spilled chemicals, it was believed to be the best option in order to avoid a catastrophic explosion. However, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro accused Norfolk Southern with mishandling the decision as they did not explore other options. As logistic and governmental agencies failed to ensure the safety of toxic chemicals, the people of East Palestine, Ohio, will suffer the ensuing consequences of this environmental disaster. (Antonio Morales/Emerald)