The mystery behind the toxic train derailment in Ohio

On February 3, hundreds of residents of the sleepy town of East Palestine, Ohio, were emergency evacuated when a 150-car train carrying toxic substances derailed and caught fire.

Faced with a possible vinyl chloride leak, the authorities decided to release and burn certain wagons affected in the incident, causing a cloud of smoke and fire visible in the distance.

After this scheduled explosion, residents of the city were allowed to return to their homes, but many have reported suffering from nausea, headaches and other ailments.

On social networks, they denounced the death of hundreds of fish in the streams near the disaster.

On Tuesday, the US Environmental Protection Agency declared that it had detected no significant levels of hazardous substances in the air and a day later confirmed that local water systems were free of chemicals and the water was safe to drink.

The lack of transparency from the authorities, as well as reports from alarmed residents, have contributed to the emergence of conspiracy theories on the Internet.

The local community has filed at least four class action lawsuits against the Norfolk Southern Railroad, alleging that they have been exposed to toxic substances and suffered "serious emotional disturbance."

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