The rail company behind a toxic chemical spill in Ohio lobbied against “common sense” regulations for transporting hazardous waste.

Norfolk Southern and other rail companies “spent millions of dollars in the courts and lobbying members of Congress to oppose common sense safety regulations, stopping some entirely and reducing the scope of others,” said Pete Buttigieg, the US transportation secretary.

He added that the effort undermined rules on brake requirements and delayed the phase-in for more durable rail cars to transport hazardous material to 2029, instead of the “originally envisioned date of 2025”.

Mr Buttigieg will call on congress to raise the cap on fines for railroad safety breaches so that they serve as a proper deterrent.

The current maximum fine is $225,455 (£187,292), according to federal rules. Norfolk Southern’s revenue last year was $12.7 billion (£10.55 billion).

Mr Buttigieg said the Biden administration will also propose other railroad safety measures in the wake of the incident.

On February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying vinyl chloride – a highly flammable gas used to make PVC pipes, credit cards and other plastic objects – derailed in East Palestine, Ohio sparking a huge fire.

To prevent a potentially deadly explosion, toxic vinyl chloride gas was vented and burned, releasing a plume of black smoke over the town.

Some residents say they have developed rashes, sore throats, nausea and headaches after returning to their homes this week, and they’re worried that these new symptoms are related to chemicals released after the train derailment.

Taking aim at Norfolk Southern, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Mr Buttigieg called on the company to adopt “a posture that focuses on supporting, not thwarting, efforts to raise the standard of US rail safety regulation.”

“Norfolk Southern and your industry must demonstrate that you will not seek to supercharge profits by resisting higher standards that could benefit the safety of workers and the safety of American communities,” Mr Buttigieg wrote in a letter to Alan Shaw, the company’s chief executive.

Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Governor, said on Friday that the chemicals that spilled into the Ohio River are no longer a risk, even as people in the community say they have constant headaches and irritated eyes.

The state plans to open a medical clinic in the village of 4,700 to analyse their symptoms.

Mr Shaw issued a statement on Saturday that he “returned to East Palestine today to meet with local leaders, first responders, and a group of Norfolk Southern employees who live in the area”.

“In every conversation today, I shared how deeply sorry I am that this happened to their home,” Mr Shaw said.