Study warns of MCHM toxicity
Charleston Gazette
Study warns of MCHM toxicity
(chemical released by Freedom Ind into region’s drinking water during #WVchemspill)
The main chemical released by Freedom Industries into the region’s drinking water supply in January 2014 may be more toxic than previously known, according to a new study that examined how the chemical reacts once it enters the body.
Scientists from Northeastern University in Boston found evidence of cancer-causing effects, DNA damage potential, and reproductive toxicity, according to their new paper, published online this week by the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science and Technology.
“This adds a new finding to call more attention to this,” said April Gu, co-author of the paper and director of Northeastern’s Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory. “Maybe we need to examine this a little bit further, rather than just believing this is moderately toxic.”
The Northeastern paper was published as researchers from Purdue University prepare to release the findings of three separate studies that examine how officials in communities hit by drinking water incidents like the Freedom spill made response decisions that often lacked a sound scientific basis.
One of those studies, for example, found that plumbing system “flushing” protocols like the one used in West Virginia following the Freedom spill “would not have reduced contamination to safe levels for some homes,” according to a Purdue press release.
That study, by Purdue graduate student Karen Casteloes, examined 40 drinking-water emergencies and discovered that flushing procedures did not account for low-flow faucets or differing sized water heaters, suggesting that residents who followed officials guidelines may have still had unsafe water in their homes.
Casteloes said a “significant need” exists for more analysis following drinking water chemical contamination incidents.
“This default position by some state and federal agencies and utilities is completely unacceptable and goes against protecting public health and safety,” said Andrew Whelton, an environmental engineer at Purdue who led Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s WV-TAP team that investigated the Freedom spill’s impacts.
“Making decisions in the absence of data does not mean you are protecting public health,” Whelton said. “It means you do not know what the consequences of your actions will be.”
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