(NewsNation) — A train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that spilled hazardous chemicals has many in the public and Congress asking how safe other cities are in the U.S.

Chemicals make up a variety of products we use every day, and at times dangerous chemicals rare transported to manufacturing plants to make those very products.

Four different chemicals spilled in Ohio, the biggest of which was was vinyl chloride, which can reportedly wreak havoc on the human liver. It’s used to make things like credit cards and PVC piping.

The derailment in Ohio is a wake-up call for communities across the country. The message is: This could happen anywhere.

“People don’t know what’s being transported through their communities,” said Patti Goldman, senior attorney at Earthjustice. “It’s not required, and they find out when it’s too late.”

The train was traveling from southern Illinois to Conway, Pennsylvania, the second biggest rail hub in the U.S., before derailing in East Palestine. The hazardous chemicals were moving along nearly 600 miles of rail, at some points along the likely route passing through highly populated cities.

The main ways chemicals in the country are moved is by trucks, boats and trains, and 99.9% of the time trains deliver the chemicals safely. Chemical spills from truck accidents are more likely to end up in a hazmat situation than a train accident.

Monte Wiederhold owns a trucking company in Ohio, and he says drivers who haul chemicals undergo extra training and testing.

“I think a lot of us, we just kind of take it for granted, and overlook that,” Wiederhold said. “But those are in our neighborhoods, cities and streets every day, and obviously the guys do a really good job, the people doing the driving. I mean our transportation system, I think, works fairly well.”

With more than 2.2 million carloads of chemicals passing over our rails, many lawmakers are asking communities to be made aware of what’s coming by train and via roadways. But routes of trucks and trains carrying hazardous materials aren’t shared publicly to curb terrorism.

The Federal Rail Administration told NewsNation “a local government may request a list of all hazardous materials for the express purpose of assisting responders in planning and preparing for emergency situations.”

Others have pointed to safety improvements of existing equipment.

“There is a new kind of braking system that would have breaks on every train car, so that trains would just stop, all the cars would stop on the tracks and they wouldn’t jackknife and we wouldn’t have the same kinds of accidents,” Goldman said.

The new braking system was introduced during the Obama administration and was canceled under Trump’s. The Transportation Department led by Secretary Elaine Cho at the time said the safety benefits didn’t exceed the costs. It’s now being discussed again in light of recent events.

Meanwhile, the trains and trucks roll on.

“You know, until we get a handle on these types of issues and until people are told the truth about what’s going through their communities, I think a lot of people are at risk,” said Erik Olson, a senior strategist at the National Resources Defense Council.

It’s still unknown who owned the chemicals being transported in Ohio, what their end destination was and what were they going to be used to produce. About half a dozen agencies all referred NewsNation to another place for those answers.