Earth Protect Blog

Health Experts Disagree on Chemical Spill's Impact Water Supply

Heath officials in West Virginia are continuing to advise pregnant women affected by the chemical spill to refrain from drinking tap water due to the unknown heath affects related to the contaminated water.

However many pregnant residents are upset that several days after the spill they were told it was safe to drink the water only to be told later that expectant mothers should just drink bottled water.

Jennifer Kayrouz, is 38 weeks pregnant and was told by health officials in Charleston that she was able to drink from the tap on Jan. 13, but on Jan. 15, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources issued an advisory for pregnant women that stated that until there were no more detectable levels of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol to utilize bottled water.

"It's very upsetting," Kayrouz told ABC. "I am not ingesting it, but I felt safe enough to shower in it ... and was still washing dishes by hand. ... I have a master's in public health, and I know people are very polarized on this issue, but I put my faith in our local health department that said the water was safe. I feel like it wasn't right."

7,500 gallons of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol was discovered in the Elk River in Charleston, W.Va., on Jan.9 which left more than 300,000 people in the region without access to clean water.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated that if the chemical is diluted enough the water should be safe to drink, but other health and environmental experts are not as quick to agree given the limited research done on the chemical.

BY MYLES COLLIER

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