In the small Ohio town of East Palestine, anxieties are high two weeks after a freight train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals, which then burst into flames. During a community meeting held this week, local residents demanded answers about the cleanup process and voiced concerns about long-term health impacts from the initial fire and the subsequent chemical burn-off. It is time for government leaders to make several changes in order to ease fears and prevent similar disasters in the future.

In order to bolster transparency and safety, railroad companies should be required to immediately provide a detailed statement when there is a derailment. This would reveal the hazards at hand, just as fire officials have a list of materials before entering a burning building so they can safely respond. In this case, it appears media reported the presence of three cancer-causing chemicals that should have been noted earlier.

Moreover, health and environmental bodies must continue to monitor the community,