A Norfolk Southern train containing toxic chemicals derailed in the small Ohio town of East Palestine on Feb. 3, sparking chaos in the small town and outrage across the country.

The state of Ohio was not informed that the train contained toxic chemicals when it crossed into the state. Local officials decided to complete a “controlled burn” of the train due to fears that it would explode and create an even larger crisis than the one at hand. The crash, and the events before and after the accident, has led to signficant environmental, economic, and political fallout.

The small town of East Palestine, just seven minutes from the Pennsylvania-Ohio border, has reported over 3,500 fish washing up dead in the Ohio River. Residents have also reported their pets acting strangely, and, in some cases, allegedly dying from the chemicals that were aboard the fateful train.

The three chemicals aboard the train causing the most concern are Vinyl Chloride, Butyl Acrylate and Benzene. Vinyl Chloride is an odorless gas that is used to make PVC, known to cause nausea, headaches and liver cancer.

Butyl Acrylate is a chemical utilized to make paint and resin, but also known to cause nose and eye irritation, nausea, vomiting, allergic reactions and lung cancer.

Furthermore, Benzene is one of the most common chemicals in the US, and it has been known to cause drowsiness, dizziness, tremors, vomiting and sleeplessness. According to the CDC, high levels of exposure can lead to unconsciousness and even death. Long-term exposure to the chemical could also cause issues with blood, bone marrow or the immune system.

Many of the symptoms listed above have been reported by East Palestine’s residents.

Norfolk Southern has offered residents of East Palestine an “inconvenience payment” of $1,000, but many residents have not taken the payment due to the NDA that reportedly comes with the check. Civil litigation and a class action lawsuit from residents have since been announced against the railway company.

Like many recent issues, the train derailment has been politicized. Many democrats have blamed former President Trump for what happened in East Palestine because in 2018 his administration loosened restrictions for the transportation of flammable natural gasses via train. On the other side of the aisle, members of the GOP criticized President Biden for not visiting the small town but instead traveling to war-torn Ukraine.

The state of Ohio, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the US Department of Justice are suing Norfolk Southern over the effects the train derailment had on the public.