A Nitrogen Dioxide Leak Is Just As Terrible As It Sounds…Run If You Ever See One

When it comes to transporting toxic chemicals, you need to take extreme precautions. This goes double if you happen to be moving them through residential areas. Still though, no matter how well you prepare, accidents can and do happen. When they occur, you probably expect people to exercise some common sense and get the heck out of there as fast as they can, right?

Sadly, in the age of smartphones, that doesn’t always happen. Take, for example, this scene from Russia. A truck carrying highly toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2) got into an accident and started leaking noxious fumes right in the middle of a neighborhood. Instead of running, though, a few people decided to whip out their phones to film it.

(via Reddit)

Sure, the footage is pretty terrifying, but I don’t think it’s worth dying for. Which is exactly what NO2 can do to you if you manage to breathe in enough of it. Sometimes I fear for the future of humanity…