West Virginia Water Declared Safe…Sort of…Maybe…as the 60-mile Chemical Plume Heads to Ohio
Daisy Luther
Activist Post.com
Friday, January 17, 2014
The mainstream media reports that things are starting to look a little brighter after a chemical spill in West Virginia resulted in a complete ban on tap water last week. Residents were urged not to use the water for drinking, cooking, or even for bathing because of an industrial accident that released toxic chemical 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol into the municipal water supply.
Local authorities report that the water is now safe in some areas, partially lifting the ban, with the careful wording that the current levels of chemicals in the water are “believed to be safe.” Local stores ran out of water very quickly after the spill occurred, and those without stored water were left to fight it out over the few remaining bottles within a day of the accident.
But is it really safe? Opinions seem divided.
“Based on the water sampling data that we have seen, we think that allowing the water to be used for drinking and cooking and all the other things is perfectly appropriate,” said Dr. Vikas Kapil, chief medical officer for the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.
The 1 part per million guideline, he told reporters Thursday, “is a level not likely to be associated with adverse health effects.”
But during situations like this, he admitted, there are often questions investigators can’t answer — at least not at first.
Scott Simonton, vice chairman of the West Virginia Environmental Quality Board, said he isn’t so sure the water is safe.
“I don’t think that just because it’s below that number, it’s magically safe,” said
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