A freight train derailed in the US state of Ohio on February 3, spilling toxic chemicals into the small town of East Palestine. Fire on the train sent a large, dark plume of smoke and chemicals into the air for days. Residents reported various health issues, and scientists have warned that one of the chemicals on the train, a known carcinogen, could have long-term impacts due to air, water, and soil contamination. Both federal regulators and railroad employees have said that derailments like this could have been avoided – so have railroad industries weakened safety regulations to prioritize profits? 

In this episode: 

• Josh Rushing (@joshrushing), Senior Correspondent for Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines (@AJFaultLines)

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

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