The impact of a chemical spill after 38 train cars carrying carcinogenic materials derailed in a fiery mess two weeks ago in the U.S. town of East Palestine, Ohio is ‘huge’, the state’s Republican governor Mike DeWine said Tuesday.

Residents of the small Ohio town have been allowed to return home, almost two weeks after the spill, but at a town hall meeting Wednesday, growing concerns and anxiety over what the effects of the toxic chemicals will be on humans and the environment were voiced.

Vinyl Chloride, which was carried on five of the Norfolk Southern train cars, is associated with increased risk of some cancers.  

After the derailment, officials opted to burn the vinyl chloride on five cars in a controlled way, rather than risk a greater breach of the hazardous chemical into the surrounding waterways.  

Burning vinyl chloride, however, releases hydrogen chloride and phosgene, the latter of which was used as a weapon in World War I, officials say.DeWine said Wednesday that the company, Norfolk Southern, is responsible for the problem and will pay for everything, otherwise a lawsuit through the state’s attorney general is imminent.

The Ohio river, which 5 million people depend on for drinking water, so far has not been said to have been compromised, despite reports of thousands of dead fish.  

State officials say residents close to the site should only use bottled water as they wait for test results from the waterways.Railway officials say they had warned cost cutting could lead to a disaster such as this.

Three other substances, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether,  were also released into the air, soil or water, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency letter.

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio who live near the site of last week’s toxic chemical spill spoke with CGTN’s Sally Patterson on Wednesday to voice their concerns over the potential effects on their community and what’s ahead.  

Details are continuing to emerge about what was on the train and the impact of the spill. 

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