How to Prepare for an Oil and Chemical Spill

Contact your local emergency management office to find out how the public will be notified in the event of an oil and chemical spill incident and the actions the public must take in the event of a hazardous release.

Listen to local radio or television stations for detailed information and instructions. Follow the instructions carefully. You should stay away from the area to minimize the risk of contamination. Remember that some toxic chemicals are odorless.

• Alert people in immediate area of the spill.
• Determine the chemical nature of the spill and check the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).
• If the material is highly toxic or hazardous, call 911.
• If a volatile, toxic or flammable material is spilled, immediately warn everyone to evacuate the area, and turn off all electrical and spark producing equipment if possible.
• Use a fire extinguisher to extinguish any flames if applicable.

Add these items to your Disaster Survival Kit

• Plastic sheeting
• Duct tape
• Scissors

If you are asked to Evacuate

• Do so immediately.
• Stay tuned to a radio or television for information on evacuation routes, temporary shelters, and procedures.
• Follow the routes recommended by the authorities--shortcuts may not be safe. Leave at once.
• If you have time, minimize contamination in the house by closing all windows, shutting all vents, and turning off attic fans.
• Take pre-assembled disaster supplies

Remember to help your neighbors who may 

require special assistance

> infants,elderly people and people with disabilities.

If you are caught Outside

• Stay upstream, uphill, and upwind! In general, try to go at least one-half mile (usually 8-10 city blocks) from the danger area. Move away from the accident scene and help keep others away.
• Do not walk into or touch any spilled liquids, airborne mists, or condensed solid chemical deposits. Try not to inhale gases, fumes and smoke. If possible, cover mouth with a cloth while leaving the area.
• Stay away from accident victims until the hazardous material has been identified

If you are in your Car

• Stop and seek shelter in a permanent building. If you must remain in your car, keep car windows and vents closed and shut off the air conditioner and heater.

If you are asked to stay Inside

• Bring pets inside.
• Close and lock all exterior doors and windows. Close vents, fireplace dampers, and as many interior doors as possible.
• Turn off air conditioners and ventilation systems. In large buildings, set ventilation systems to 100 percent recirculation so that no outside air is drawn into the building. If this is not possible, ventilation systems should be turned off.
• Go into the pre-selected shelter room. This room should be above ground and have the fewest openings to the outside.
• Seal gaps under doorways and windows with wet towels or plastic sheeting and duct tape.
• Seal gaps around window and air conditioning units, bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans, and stove and dryer vents with duct tape and plastic sheeting, wax paper or aluminum wrap.
• Use material to fill cracks and holes in the room, such as those around pipes.
• If gas or vapors could have entered the building, take shallow breaths through a cloth or a towel. Avoid eating or drinking any food or water that may be contaminated.

Shelter Safety for Sealed Rooms

In the event of an oil and chemical spill you may be asked to shelter at home, if so, here are some tips for creating a temporary safe room in your house.

• Ten square feet of floor space per person will provide sufficient air to prevent carbon dioxide build-up for up to five hours, assuming a normal breathing rate while resting.
• Also you should ventilate the shelter when the emergency has passed to avoid breathing contaminated air still inside the shelter.
• However, local officials are unlikely to recommend the public shelter in a sealed room for more than 2-3 hours because the effectiveness of such sheltering diminishes with time as the contaminated outside air gradually seeps into the shelter. At this point, evacuation from the area is the better protective action to take.

After a Hazardous Materials Incident

The following are guidelines for the period following a hazardous oil and chemical spill incident:

• Return home only when authorities say it is safe. Open windows and vents and turn on fans to provide ventilation.
• Act quickly if you have come in to contact with or have been exposed to hazardous chemicals. Do the following:
• Follow decontamination instructions from local authorities. You may be advised to take a thorough shower, or you may be advised to stay away from water and follow another procedure.
• Seek medical treatment for unusual symptoms as soon as possible.
• Place exposed clothing and shoes in tightly sealed containers. Do not allow them to contact other materials. Call local authorities to find out about proper disposal.
• Advise everyone who comes in to contact with you that you may have been exposed to a toxic substance.
• Find out from local authorities how to clean up your land and property.
• Report any lingering vapors or other hazards to your local emergency services office.

Oil and Chemical Spill Clean Up

Which methods and tools people choose for clean up depends on the circumstances of each event:

• the weather,
• the type and amount of oil spilled,
• how far away from shore the oil has spilled,
• whether or not people live in the area, what kinds of bird and animal habitats are in the area, and other factors.

Different cleanup methods work on different types 

of beaches and with different kinds of oil

For example, road equipment works very well on sand beaches, but can't be used in marshes or on beaches with big boulders or cobble (rounded stones that are larger than pebbles, but smaller than boulders).

Methods used for clean up:

• booms, which are floating barriers to oil (for example, a big boom may be placed around a tanker that is leaking oil, to collect the oil).
• skimmers, which are boats that skim spilled oil from the water surface.
• sorbents, which are big sponges used to absorb oil.
• chemical dispersants and biological agents, which break down the oil into its chemical constituents.
• in-situ burning, which is a method of burning freshly-spilled oil, usually while it is floating on the water.
• washing oil off beaches with either high-pressure or low-pressure hoses.
• vacuum trucks, which can vacuum spilled oil off of beaches or the water surface.
• shovels and road equipment, which are sometimes used to pick up oil or move oiled beach sand and gravel down to where it can be cleaned by being tumbled around in the waves.

Oil & Chemical Spill Hazard

Oil Spill Hazards

Oil floats on salt water (the ocean) and usually floats on fresh water (rivers and lakes). Very heavy oil can sometimes sink in fresh water, but this happens very rarely.

Oil usually spreads out rapidly across the water surface to form a thin layer that we call an oil slick. As the spreading process continues, the layer becomes thinner and thinner, finally becoming a very thin layer called a sheen, which often looks like a rainbow. (You may have seen sheens on roads or parking lots after a rain.)

Depending on the circumstances, oil spills can be very harmful to marine birds and mammals, and also can harm fish and shellfish. You may have seen dramatic pictures of oiled birds and sea otters that have been affected by oil spills.

It destroys the insulating ability of fur-bearing mammals, such as sea otters, and the water-repelling abilities of a bird's feathers, thus exposing these creatures to the harsh elements.

Many birds and animals also ingest (swallow) it when they try to clean themselves, which can poison them. Depending on just where and when a spill happens, from just a few up to hundreds or thousands of birds and mammals can be killed or injured.

Chemical Spill & Hazardous Materials

Chemicals are found everywhere. They purify drinking water, increase crop production, and simplify household chores. But chemicals also can be hazardous to humans or the environment if used or released improperly.

Hazards can occur during production, storage, transportation, use, or disposal. You and your community are at risk if a chemical is used unsafely or released in harmful amounts into the environment where you live, work, or play.

Hazardous materials in various forms can cause death, serious injury, long-lasting health effects, and damage to buildings, homes, and other property. Many products containing hazardous chemicals are used and stored in homes routinely. These products are also shipped daily on the nation's highways, railroads, waterways, and pipelines.

Chemical manufacturers are one source of hazardous materials, but there are many others, including service stations, hospitals, and hazardous materials waste sites.

Varying quantities of hazardous materials are manufactured, used, or stored at an estimated 4.5 million facilities in the United States--from major industrial plants to local dry cleaning establishments or gardening supply stores.

Causes Chemical Spill

An oil and chemical spill is one of the most devastating environmental disasters that can happen because it effects people, animals, the land and the coastal waters ways. They can kill wildlife, destroy habitats, and contaminate critical resources in the food chain.

They can also wreak havoc on the economies of coastal communities by forcing the closure of fisheries, driving away tourists, or temporarily shutting down navigation routes. And these environmental and economic damages can linger for decades.

Every year it happens a thousand times around the nation. These spills range from small ship collisions to fuel transfer mishaps to massive events like the recent BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Causes of Spills

Most oil and chemical spill incidents are caused by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, and storage facilities, usually while these hazards are being transported to us, its users.

Hazardous materials come in the form of explosives, flammable and combustible substances, poisons, and radioactive materials.

These substances are most often released as a result of transportation accidents or because of chemical accidents in manufacturing plants or refineries.

Other causes oil and chemical spill incidents

• people making mistakes or being careless
• equipment breaking down
• natural disasters such as hurricanes
• deliberate acts by terrorists, countries at war, vandals, or illegal dumpers
• 
  

Charleston,West Virginia (CNN) - Is it really safe?

West Virginia asks feds to study

 possible health effects of chemical spill

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• "Perhaps there is something going on here," says county health officer
• "We stand willing to continue to assist," says CDC spokeswoman
• A chemical spill last month led to continuing concerns about the safety of water
• "It is critical this study is funded and that work begins immediately," Gov. Tomblin says

Charleston, West Virginia (CNN) -- Is it really safe?

West Virginia's governor is asking federal authorities to do further study on the possible health effects caused by last month's chemical spill near Charleston.

"It is critical this study is funded and that work begins immediately," wrote Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in a letter Tuesday to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On January 9, the chemical -- 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, or MCHM -- was discovered leaking from a storage tank into the Elk River and from there into Charleston's water supply. Its licorice smell alerted residents to the contamination and led to a do-not-use order for 300,000 West Virginians, some of whom could not drink or bathe in their water for more than a week.

It also underscored that little is known about the health effects of the chemical, which is used to wash coal prior to market in order to reduce ash.

The spill was originally estimated at about 7,500 gallons, but Freedom Industries said late last month that about 10,000 gallons of chemical had escaped. The company also told regulators that a second chemical -- a mix of polyglycol ethers, known as PPH -- was part of the leak.

"I am committed to the health and well-being of West Virginians and believe there is a pressing need to further study the potential health effects resulting from exposure to water contaminated with crude MCHM and PPH," Tomblin said.

An independent water test conducted early this month at CNN's request found trace levels of MCHM, both in untreated river water and in tap water from two homes in Charleston. The amounts ranged from less than 0.5 parts per billion to 1.6 parts per billion -- well below the 1 part per million that the CDC has said it considers unlikely to be associated with any adverse health effects.

"We stand willing to continue to assist and will be discussing with officials there what additional toxicology and epidemiology studies may be needed," said Laura Bellinger, a CDC spokeswoman.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, the health officer and executive director of the Kanawha-Charleston and Putnam County health departments, has called for a long-term study to be carried out "in a manner able to capture any long-term impact."

In the wake of the spill, two waves of patients sought treatment from private doctors and 10 emergency rooms in a nine-county area for non-specific symptoms such as rash, nausea, vomiting and cough, Gupta told CNN on Wednesday.

The first peak -- about 250 patients -- occurred in the first three days after the spill was reported on January 9, he said.

A lull ensued during the several days of the do-not-use advisory, followed by a second peak -- about the same number -- during the first few days after the advisory was lifted on January 13, he said.

There is widespread distrust of the water, with only about 1% of the 200 people who attended town hall meetings in late January about the matter saying they were drinking it, he said.

Gupta, who has a masters degree in public health, acknowledged that his findings were "non-scientific" and that he did not know what the baseline incidence would be of patients appearing at an ER with such symptoms, but said the anecdotes point to the need for further studies.

"Those two peaks are undeniable," he said. "Perhaps there is something going on here."

Gupta said the water in his own house continues to smell of licorice, and that he avoids drinking tap water, though he would not be opposed to doing so. "The question becomes, is a pregnant mom going to drink it? Should developing brains of children be drinking it?"

The CDC has expressed similar concerns. "Due to limited availability of data, and out of an abundance of caution, pregnant women may wish to consider an alternative drinking water source until the chemical is at non-detectable levels in the water distribution system," it said in a paper dated February 5. "For mothers with babies, there is no research that suggests consuming water with these low levels of MCHM poses any health risk to their baby. However, if you have any concerns, please consult your doctor."

But the West Virginia Poison Center said in a posting on February 10 that some symptoms, such as nausea and headaches, may not indicate that the chemicals were harmful.

"These symptoms are not due to toxic effects but are a body's physical and real response to unusual smells/tastes," it said, adding that the poison center received calls from more than 1,900 patients reporting chemical exposures related to the drinking water in the days after the spill was reported. "Most reported symptoms included mild rashes and reddened skin from dermal exposure, or GI distress (nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea) from ingesting contaminated water. The symptoms tended to be mild and self-limiting."

It urged that anyone with continuing symptoms be evaluated for other medical conditions, and noted that viral gastroenteritis, influenza, the common cold and other infections are all common at this time of year.

A spokeswoman for West Virginia American Water Co. said the company was continuing to flush the system to get rid of pockets of licorice smell that remain. "For us, it's not over until we resolve the odor issue," said Maureen Duffy.

Dr. Tanja Popovic, the director of the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, told reporters on February 5 that repeated testing had shown the water to be acceptable for all uses.

"What I can say is that with all the scientific evidence that we have, with everything that numerous people have worked on so far, I can say that you can use your water however you like," Popovic said. "You can drink it, you can bathe in it, you can use it how you like."

Tomblin said then that tests had shown levels of less than 10 parts per billion or too low to detect, and that he and his staff had been drinking the water "for the last couple of weeks." But when asked whether he could declare it "100% safe," he said, "No."

"The only thing that we can rely upon is what the experts tell us, and, you know, for all the tests done that's who we've got to depend upon," Tomblin said.

A federal grand jury is probing the spill at Freedom Industries, sources familiar with the grand jury's activities have told CNN.

source : http://edition.cnn.com/ By Elizabeth Cohen and Tom Watkins, CNN, February 20, 2014 -- Updated 1613 GMT (0013 HKT)

Chemical Spill in West Virginia Declared Disaster

A federal disaster declaration has been issued for a West Virginia chemical spill that may have contaminated tap water and prompted officials to order residents in nine counties not to bathe, brush their teeth or wash their clothes.

DCI

 PLAY VIDEO

How Drugs Pollute Our Drinking Water

We expect our drinking water to be germ free, but what about drug free?

DCI

The declaration, made overnight, allows for direct federal assistance in dealing with the spill, Bill Hines of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said early Friday. It remained unclear how much of the chemical spilled into the river and at what concentration, or how long the advisory would last.

The federal move came shortly after Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency Thursday when the spill from Freedom Industries hit a river and a nearby water treatment plant.

Customers of West Virginia American Water in the affected areas also got the order from Tomblin on Thursday night: Do not drink, bathe, cook or wash clothes with tap water.

The chemical, a foaming agent used in the coal preparation process, leaked from a tank at Freedom Industries, overran a containment area and went into the river earlier Thursday.

Officials say the orders -- which the water company also delivered to residents via automated telephone messages -- were issued as a precaution, as they are still not sure exactly what hazard the spill posed to residents. It also was not immediately clear how much of the chemical spilled into the river and at what concentration.

"I don't know if the water is not safe," said water company president Jeff McIntyre. "Until we get out and flush the actual system and do more testing, we can't say how long this (advisory) will last at this time."

McIntyre said the chemical isn't lethal in its strongest form. Kanawha County emergency officials said the chemical is called 4-methylcyclohexane methanol. Freedom Industries officials were unavailable for comment.

According to a fact sheet from Fisher Scientific, the chemical is harmful if swallowed and causes eye and skin irritation and could be harmful if inhaled.

The emergency declaration involves customers in all or parts of the counties of Kanawha, Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam and Roane. In the capital city of Charleston, a smell similar to licorice or cough syrup was evident in the air both outdoors and in areas where it had already reached the water supply.

The smell was especially strong at the Charleston Marriott hotel a few blocks from the Elk River, which flows into the Kanawha River in downtown Charleston. The Marriott shut off all water to rooms, and then turned it back on so guests could flush toilets. Each guest was given two 16.9-ounce bottles of spring water upon returning to the hotel.

The West Virginia National Guard planned to mobilize at an air base at Charleston's Yeager Airport on Friday to distribute bottled drinking water to emergency services agencies in the nine counties, Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety spokesman Lawrence Messina told The Associated Press.

"They're committing all necessary resources to help with this," Messina said Thursday night.

Messina said the drinking water will come from several different suppliers. After distribution, the various county agencies "will use their own game plans to distribute it, with hospitals and nursing homes getting priority," Messina said.

Most people weren't waiting for outside help.

Once word got out about the governor's declaration Thursday, customers stripped store shelves in many areas of items such as bottled water, paper cups and bowls. As many as 50 customers had lined up to buy water at a convenience store near the state Capitol in Charleston.

"It was chaos, that's what it was," cashier Danny Cardwell said.

Tomblin said the advisory also extends to restaurants, hospitals, nursing homes and other establishments that use tap water.

At the Little India restaurant in Charleston, about 12 customers were asked to leave when bar manager Bill LaCourse learned about the shutdown notice.

West Virginia lawmakers who just started their session this week won't conduct business on Friday because of the problem and State Department of Education spokeswoman Liza Cordeiro said schools in at least five of the counties will be closed.

Karlee Bolen, 16, of Charleston, said her family, including her parents, two sisters and brother, were considering the possibility of heading to her grandmother's home in Braxton County, where tap water was unaffected, an hour to the northeast.

"I kind of want to shower and brush my teeth," she said.

source : JAN 10, 2014 11:45 AM ET // BY FOXNEWS.COM

Business Interruption Losses from Chemical Spill Take Toll, Charleston

Press Conference: CEO Of Company Responsible For

 West Virginia Chemical Spill

Restaurants and storefronts are buzzing again in West Virginia’s capital city of Charleston, but many still haven’t filled a financial hole after chemicals sullied their running water and forced them to close several days in January.

“I don’t foresee ever recouping it,” said Deno Stanley, owner of Adelphia Sports Bar & Grille in Charleston.

Among the tree-lined cluster of small businesses on Capitol Street, springtime foot traffic is up at Adelphia. Stanley said out-of-towners are back, and so is customer confidence.

It’s a welcome change, Stanley said, after Adelphia started the year by losing $38,000 in sales over eight days due to the spill. Other costs also built up, like buying bottled water for patrons and changing filters in soda and ice machines, as officials required. Bottled water is still served, he said.

Adelphia quickly filed a lawsuit after the Jan. 9 spill, now one of more than 60 civil actions targeting the companies involved. Freedom Industries, the company at the center of the spill, and West Virginia American Water, the regional water company, are named in most of them.

The spill left 300,000 people without safe drinking water for four to 10 days, spurring health departments to shut down businesses that depend on clean water, from eateries to salons. Public fear reverberated for weeks afterward, prompting many restaurants to keep cooking with and serving only bottled water. Some still haven’t switched back.

The state has estimated the nine impacted counties took a $61 million economic hit.

In addition to lawsuits, businesses tried to collect insurance claims, sought government loans and pursued other avenues. But the options available have left some businesses little confidence of recovering what’s been lost.

Danny Fazio, whose restaurant Fazio’s has been a Charleston staple for 35 years, said a loan is not what the crisis warranted, anyway.

“That’s money I lost and didn’t deserve to lose,” Fazio said. “Neither did anybody else.”

Fazio’s insurance would not cover his restaurant’s losses. Signs at the Italian eatery still assure that they’re cooking with bottled water. It’s a commitment that Fazio said has cost $10,000 over four months in extra bottled water and ice.

Adelphia’s insurance policy wouldn’t pay out a claim, either, Stanley said.

Across the area, it was hit or miss whether businesses had purchased policies that would cover interruption of business losses from the spill, said Matthew Ballard, president/CEO of the Charleston Area Alliance, a local chamber of commerce.

The public wasn’t only concerned about eating or drinking the water. Pauline’s House of Curls, located in Danville, was closed for eight days in January. For a short while after, some customers still feared using the water for hair styling, said stylist Paula Miller.

Freedom, whose aging tank leaked coal cleaning chemicals into the Elk River, crumbled into bankruptcy on Jan. 17. The move deflated hope for many suing the company, since it temporarily froze their legal actions and has left them watching the company’s financial resources dwindle from the sideline.

Lawyers for small businesses have admitted any recovered money will be a drop in the bucket, since Freedom has hundreds of groups it owes money and limited cash.

American Water Works, the profitable parent of West Virginia American Water, vowed on its latest earnings report to “vigorously contest the lawsuits.” Its West Virginia income dipped by $5.9 million in the first quarter amid the spill.

Public grant money wasn’t made available for businesses that took the financial hit.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which provided meals and water after the spill, eventually approved West Virginia’s request to cover some costs after the state appealed FEMA’s denial. The aid only included some costs incurred by public agencies and nonprofits that responded to the crisis.

State and federal officials lauded two types of low-interest loans to help out. But neither lent any money to impacted West Virginia businesses.

Last legislative session, which started three days before the spill, officials reacted by creating a short-term, low-interest loan program for small businesses during declared emergencies. Some businesses asked about the aid, but couldn’t get any because lawmakers didn’t put any money into the program, said Department of Commerce spokeswoman Chelsea Ruby.

The state referred people to the federal Small Business Administration, which set up economic impact disaster loans. Ten businesses applied; six withdrew their applications, and four were denied, said administration spokesman David Hall. The names of businesses that applied and reasons they were denied are confidential, Hall said. But credit history and ability to repay the loans are taken into account.

Workers who lost hours because of the spill did get some reprieve. Through Feb. 21, United Way of Central West Virginia distributed about $112,000 in donations to 625 workers near minimum wage whose businesses closed, said local United Way President John Balangee.

State tourism officials think they found reason for optimism, however.

In an independent survey funded by the state, only one-third of residents in various surrounding markets mentioned the spill when asked what they had heard about West Virginia recently. Of those who were aware of the leak, just one in three said it made them less likely to visit.

Only one closed business, a Charleston restaurant, publicly linked its shutdown to the spill.

source : http://www.insurancejournal.com/

What Is Chemical Spill

What is chemical spill?

A chemical spill is a situation in which a chemical is accidentally released. In the case of non-toxic chemicals, dealing with a spill is usually very straightforward, since the spill simply needs to be cleaned up. However, spills of toxic chemicals represent a more serious problem, especially in the case of spills of multiple chemicals which could react with each other. Many nations have specific laws concerning large-scale chemical spills such as the release of chemicals from a damaged chemical tanker.

There are a number of things which can cause a chemical spill. In a laboratory, a dropped beaker, piece of malfunctioning equipment, or poorly handled package of chemicals can potentially cause a spill. On a larger scale, chemicals can be spilled in train and auto accidents involving chemical tankers, or they can be released by seagoing ships or aircraft. Chemical plants can also cause spills with imperfect safety procedures, accidents, or deliberate dumping of chemicals. Most governments treat large scale spills as the responsibility of the person who caused them, rather than the manufacturer of the chemical.

Workers involved with chemical spills wear specialized suits to protect them from hazardous materials.

Businesses incur losses after chemical spill?

Yes indeed . it was true !

Restaurants and storefronts especially are buzzing again in West Virginia’s capital city, but many still haven’t filled a financial hole after chemicals sullied their running water and forced them to close several days in January.

Owner of Adelphia Sports Bar & Grille in Charleston said “I don’t foresee ever recouping it” Besides, they filed a lawsuit after the Jan. 9 spill, now one of more than 60 civil actions targeting the companies involved..

They had losing $38,000 in sales over eight days due to the spill. Other costs also built up, like buying bottled water for patrons and changing filters in soda and ice machines, as officials required. Bottled water is still served.

The spill left 300,000 people without safe drinking water for four to 10 days, spurring health departments to shut down businesses that depend on clean water, from eateries to salons. Public fear reverberated for weeks afterward, prompting many restaurants to keep cooking with and serving only bottled water. Some still haven’t switched back.

In addition to lawsuits,businesses tried to collect insurance claims, sought government loans and pursued other avenues. But the options available have left some businesses little confidence of recovering what’s been lost. *pity them* L

p/s: That’s the money they lost and they didn’t deserve to lose :’(

Mostly , insurance would not cover the restaurant’s losses. Signs at the Italian eatery still assure that they’re cooking with bottled water. It’s a commitment that the restaurant owner has cost $10,000 over four months in extra bottled water and ice.

Chemical spill on West Virginia ??

Chemical spill on West Virginia ??

What exactly happened ?  *gasping for air*

 This incident happened on 9^th January 2014 which is just few months ago.  A steel storage tank which is near to Charleston, W.Va , containing crude 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) began leaking through a one-inch hole. The chemical was soon seeping into the Elk River, just 1.5 miles upstream of a water –treatment center.

Refer to the map below. Look !  How big the area that is affected by the chemical spill *SHOCK*!!

Residents (referring to the REA AREA) quickly noticed a strange licorice-like odor, and some 300,000 people in nine counties were advised not to drink the water. Hundreds of people in the area have sought medical treatment so far, with symptoms ranging from nausea to rashes, although it's still unclear how many of those cases are related to the water contamination.

As the days went by…. Things got more confusing !

On Jan. 13, West Virginia regulators began lifting the ban on drinking the water (but asked people to flush their pipes first). Yet some uncertainty remained: The CDC initially said that the water would be safe if it had less than 1 part per million of crude MCHM. Then regulators said pregnant women should not drink the water until officials declare it free of any trace of the chemical. Some doctors are still warning that children should avoid the water. More people are still seeking medical treatment. No one knows the full extent of the damage.

I know most of you guys out there must be wondering “what is exactly MCHM???” and why do we know so little about it ? Lemme briefly explain it to you . jeng.. jeng.. jeng…. :P  I presented it with a diagram so that it would be easier for you to understand and make it more fun to read. Isn’t it ? hehe.