New Chemical Found in West Virginia Spill
From Ring of Fire:
On Tuesday, federal and state officials learned that an additional chemical not previously identified was present in the tank that leaked into the Elk River earlier this month, contaminating the water supply of hundreds of thousands of West Virginians. According to the WV Gazette, the spilled chemical, crude MCHM, which contains 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, also included a chemical called PPH.
Freedom Industries, the company whose tank leaked chemicals into the Kanawha Valley water system on January 9, told officials that PPH was present in its crude MCHM. On Tuesday night, state officials said they believe the American Water Company’s Elk River plant would have filtered the PPH chemical out of the water during its normal treatment process.
Additional testing is reportedly being done to determine whether the chemical is present in water samples. According to the Gazette, a Freedom Industries data sheet on the new chemical reveals that it can irritate the eyes and skin and is harmful if swallowed. There is no data available on its long-term health effects.
Read the full article here at Ring of Fire.
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