Tag: MCHM

CDC Denies West Virginia's Request for More Animal Tests on MCHM

Federal officials aren't granting a state request for more animal tests for a chemical that spilled into West Virginia's largest drinking water supply in…

  Federal officials aren’t granting a state request for more animal tests for a chemical that spilled into West Virginia’s largest drinking water supply in January.

In February, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin asked for additional tests to determine the long-term health effects of consuming, breathing or coming in contact with the spilled chemical, crude MCHM.

In a March 13 letter made public Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told state health officials it believed long-term effects were unlikely. CDC described plans only to track trends with resources like birth defects surveillance, cancer registries and health systems data.

State officials are still lobbying for study money.

After the spill, CDC used limited lab research to determine a chemical level safe enough to lift a days-long tap-water ban for 300,000 people.

Researchers Recommend Testing of 720 Homes Affected by Elk River Spill

An independent research group suggests sampling water in 720 West Virginia homes for a chemical that spilled into the water supply in January.

Researchers from the West Virginia Testing Assessment Project, or WV TAP, say that number of homes would be “statistically defensible” in determining whether affected households are chemical-free.

The group sampled 10 homes in February for crude MCHM using state taxpayer dollars. Each contained chemical traces, but the concentrations were about 675 times weaker than what federal officials call safe to drink. The report says levels of the chemical have continued to decline since the spill.

However, researchers say at the time of the writing of the 24-page report, some residents in the area continue to report odors in their tap water not detected before the spill. 

It’s unclear how much additional testing would cost. The group used $765,000 from the state to test 10 homes, along with conducting other related studies.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin spokesman Chris Stadelman says the administration is awaiting WV TAP’s final report before determining next steps.

The spill contaminated water for 300,000 people for days.

CDC Explains Rationale for MCHM Drinking Water Standard

In a letter to Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, federal health officials say they thought their drinking water standard established after the Elk River…

In a letter to Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, federal health officials say they thought their drinking water standard established after the Elk River chemical spill would have protected West Virginias from other forms of contact. 

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official says drinking the contaminated water was the primary exposure they were concerned with when forming their safety threshold. CDC director Thomas Frieden says consumption was associated with the most significant health effects.

Officials thought their safe drinking water level would also protect West Virginians living in the nine county area against other exposures, like skin contact and breathing fumes.

But after the spill, Capito asked the CDC to explain the symptoms after inhaling or coming in contact with a person’s skin. In a letter to Capito, Frieden says the CDC’s rationale was that if it was safe to drink, it would be safe for other forms of contact. 

In subsequent emergency room visits, more than half of patients reported issues after skin contact, and 15 percent after breathing vapors. Overall, symptoms ranged from rashes to vomiting.

EPA to Gauge Safety of Inhaling MCHM

Months after a chemical spilled into 300,000 West Virginians' water source, federal officials want to determine at what level people can safely breathe…

  Months after a chemical spilled into 300,000 West Virginians’ water source, federal officials want to determine at what level people can safely breathe the chemical’s fumes.

Over the next few months, the Environmental Protection Agency will work on detecting crude MCHM in the air and creating a safety standard for inhaling it.

It’s the first time federal officials will factor in precautions for more than just consuming the water contaminated by MCHM.

Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kelley Gillenwater says her state agency can use the measurement to respond to complaints about odors associated with the material. That includes cleanup at the Freedom Industries spill site and companies that produce, store or use the coal cleaning chemical.

The Jan. 9 spill spurred a water ban for four to 10 days.

Capito Asking Questions About Spill

U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito is asking federal health officials for more information about skin contact and inhaling a chemical that spilled in…

U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito is asking federal health officials for more information about skin contact and inhaling a chemical that spilled in January.

The Republican congresswoman’s Tuesday letter asks the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if inhalation or skin contact were accounted for in crude MCHM’s safe level. CDC quickly created a safe drinking water standard after a Jan. 9 spill tainted 300,000 West Virginians’ water supply for days.   

CDC spokeswoman Bernadette Burden said the agency found “very little supporting information” to create an inhalation screening level. The chemical’s material safety data sheet says at elevated temperatures, eye and respiratory tract irritation can occur.   

WV TAP, a state-funded independent research group, created a different standard eight times more protective. It accounted for inhalation, skin contact and ingestion.
 

Wastewater from Freedom Spill Sent to Ohio, North Carolina

Wastewater containing a chemical that spilled into the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians is heading to Ohio and North Carolina.
 
State Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kelley Gillenwater says Freedom Industries started sending wastewater to an Ohio underground injection control well site this week.
 
The material was vacuumed out of Freedom’s tanks and the Elk River. Freedom was storing it at its Nitro facility.
 
The same material was being mixed with sawdust and sent to a Hurricane landfill. Waste Management voluntarily stopped transporting the chemical. A judge issued a temporary ban last month against DEP letting material be dumped in the landfill.
 
Other wastewater was sent this week to North Carolina and Ohio treatment plants.
 
The Jan. 9 Freedom spill in Charleston spurred a water-use ban for days.
 

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