One Month After the Spill, Here Are 5 Things You Need to Know About West Virginia’s Water Crisis

[xchrom]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/178309/one-month-after-spill-here-are-5-things-you-need-know-about-west-virginias-water-crisis


Workers inspect an area near the Elk River near where a chemical leaked at Freedom Industries storage facility in Charleston, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

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Officials are still sending mixed messages regarding water safety.

The Center for Disease Control and local health departments, along with West Virginia American Water, all maintain that the water is safe to use. They’ve based their assessment on a controversial “screening level” of less than 1 part per million (ppm) of MCMH for safe water usage (more on this later). Samples from treatment plants have met that criterion, though the state still hasn’t conducted planned tests on home plumbing systems.


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We still know very little about MCHM.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail has a stunning report about how government scientists rushed to determine the widely cited standard of 1 ppm of MCHM. In short, the CDC determined a chemical safety standard for 300,000 West Virginians the night of the spill’s discovery, based on a chemical manufacturer’s 1994 tests on lab rats. The CDC has since changed its tune, now citing an earlier study by the same company with higher standards. But some experts have criticized both studies—neither peer-reviewed nor publically available—as inadequate for making human health conclusions that affect so many people.

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At least five schools have dismissed students over chemical odors.

At least five schools sent students home last week after administrators detected the “licorice-like” odor associated with MCHM on school grounds. One teacher fainted and was sent to the hospital because of the odor. There were also complaints of lightheadedness, burning eyes and burning noses, all symptoms related to MCHM exposure.


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The storage facility in question fell short of federal standards.

Monday’s congressional hearing revealed that, just three months before the spill, private inspectors found Freedom Industries’ storage tanks to be lacking in “full compliance” with EPA standards.

[mikeysnot]

1. We don't need any of that government regulation..

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