Thousands of people had to be evacuated from the city of East Palestine (Ohio), where the accident occurred.The authorities carried out a controlled explosion to prevent a further spill of chemicals, however, this caused a toxic smoke that is affecting people and animals living near the region.At the end of last year, "Background noise" premiered on Netflix, an adaptation of a novel that tells the life of an Ohio family that escapes from an ecological disaster caused by a toxic cloud.Curiously, and a few months later, a disaster similar to the one described in the film would occur in the same US state.On Friday, February 3, a train derailed in East Palestine, a town of 5,000 people.For days it was impossible for firefighters to approach the fire due to the toxicity of the cargo that overturned during the accident: vinyl chloride in a liquid state, a type of flammable chemical used in the manufacture of PVC.The population had to be evacuated while a "controlled explosion" was put into practice to avoid risks of further leaking of the chemical.However, this "release" also generated dangerous byproducts: hydrogen chloride and phosgene, a gas that was used as a chemical weapon during World War I.Despite authorities reassuring residents in recent days that it was safe to return, many still have not returned home.According to CNN, they are concerned about long-term risks that environmental officials are just beginning to assess."Inhaling vinyl chloride can cause dizziness, nausea, headache and shortness of breath," Ashok Kumar of the University of Toledo explained to ABC.For his part, Kevin Crist, from Ohio University, warned about the risk of developing cancer of the liver and other organs for those who are exposed to the chemical, which he described as an "acid mist."In fact, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has stated that "human and animal studies show higher rates of liver, lung, and various other cancers" in those exposed to this substance."Exposure to vinyl chloride can affect a person's liver, kidneys, lungs, spleen, nervous system, and blood. People exposed to extremely high levels may have an increased risk of miscarriage and birth defects. Damage to the male sperm-producing organs has occurred in laboratory animals," the report concluded.As if that were not enough, hundreds of reports of animals killed by poisoning in nearby areas flooded social networks: from fish and frogs in local streams, to pets in the homes of those who returned, stoking fears of the possible impact on the health of people, according to The New York Post.Taylor Holzer, who owns a farm outside the East Palestine evacuation zone, told WKBN that several foxes he keeps on his property died "out of nowhere" shortly after the blast.In the case of the surviving animals, he said, they began to show "watery eyes, swollen faces, and refused to eat for several days."