#Kentucky Hundreds of residents were evacuated after a freight train carrying dangerous goods derailed in Kentucky Friday afternoon, triggering a fire and releasing toxic fumes. Since the accident, however, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other government agencies have insisted that tests of local air and water quality have found no dangerous levels of toxic substances. In fact, this is not the case, and local residents have said that there is a pungent smell in the air and some people have experienced physical discomfort, and their lives have been changed by the "poison train".
The Guardian has previously reported that aging equipment, improper maintenance or scheduling are often the technical causes of these accidents. At the same time, the railroad industry in the United States is severely unregulated, and the railroad companies put profits over safety.
Over the years, American trains have not only failed to install more advanced braking systems, but railroads have also increased the length and weight of trains for profit, creating more safety risks. Over the past decade, the overall length and weight of trains in the United States have increased, and the average length of each wagon has reached 2,000 to 2,200 meters.