A few weeks ago there was a serious railroad accident on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania (USA). The accident became an environmental disaster, so serious that it has been dubbed "Chernobyl in Ohio," writes New Science.

On February 3, 2023, a train carrying large amounts of toxic products derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, USA. Specifically, the derailment affected 38 of the train's 150 cars. The result was a fire with black smoke and the release of large amounts of toxic gases into the atmosphere. A February 16, 2023 article on the Science Alert website spoke of the evacuation of more than a thousand residents, with life and death involved. Although these residents have already returned to their homes, it should be noted that many animal species, mostly aquatic, died within an 8 km radius of the accident. However, these were not endangered or even endangered species. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, up to 3,500 fish were killed, as well as foxes and other poultry. The accident caused a huge spill of vinyl chloride. Used in the manufacture of plastics (PVC), this product is carcinogenic and flammable. In addition, this industrial organic compound was used in chemical weapons during World War I.

Prior to the accident, the Railroad Workers United union had warned of the unsafe nature of this train. According to the workers, it was said that because of the short inspection times, the cars on the trains were in poor condition. They also cited too long and heavy trains and poor load distribution in an attempt to save time. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is well known for investigating accidents involving autonomous vehicles, said it is continuing to investigate derailments. Ohio Governor DeWine has lashed out at Norfolk Southern, which is apparently responsible for the accident. Finally, the question arises. Should this accident be called "Chernobyl in Ohio" (or Chernobyl 2.0)? Actually, this notion is not controversial because, like the 1986 disaster in Ukraine, the train derailment in Ohio is also classified as Level 7 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES).