Did Control Burn of Toxic Chemicals Make Ohio Train Derailment Worse?

A controlled burn of the train cars involved in the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment on February 3 has some people concerned about the release of toxic chemicals into the air.

The Norfolk Southern Railway train was transporting many toxic chemicals, so officials decided to conduct a controlled burn of the cars a few days after the derailment to release the chemicals under controlled conditions and to prevent an explosion, which would have sent shrapnel flying into residential areas and potentially released toxic chemicals in an uncontrolled way.

However, five of the cars contained vinyl chloride, which becomes hydrogen chloride and phosgene when burned. Phosgene is a deadly gas that was used in chemical warfare during World War I.