
West Virginia Officials Warn Not to Use Water Following Chemical Leak [video] - jotm
http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/eyewitness/140109_22268.shtml
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lspears
I'm from Charleston WV and live a couple miles from where the spill took
place. People stormed stores for bottled water and some even resorted to
stealing to avoid getting the rationed amount. About 1/6 of the state's
population doesn't have access to drinking water and many don't have the money
to "take a vacation" and leave the region. Businesses can't operatorate and
the economic repercussions will devistate the region. The question everyone
has is how long will it last? The chemical is dispersed in the water pipes
spanning 8 counties and there is no easy way to get it out. We have been
angered about the lack of national attention this has received and it makes us
feel like no one cares about our state.

~~~
TallGuyShort
I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, because this is truly an unpleasant, if
not dangerous, situation, but don't more people keep a supply of water
somewhere in their home? I don't really consider myself THAT well-prepared a
survivalist, but I've got about 40 gallons of drinking water stored up. I
would highly recommend that everybody do the same. Drinking water is vital,
and so many things can interrupt your supply that you really need to look into
storing several days worth.

Again - I don't mean to sound unsympathetic - I wish everyone in your area a
speedy resolution to this situation.

~~~
lspears
Drinking water isn't the only consideration. People can't take showers, cook
with water, or even wash their hands. It wouldn't be a problem if it was one
day, but if it goes on it will make living in the area terrible. The real
issue is they don't know how long the region will be effected.

~~~
mrtron
In the short term, drinking water is 100 times more important than the other
items.

Long term I don't know how they are going to deal with something of this
magnitude.

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dbbolton
Native West Virginian here. We have kind of a strange situation in that we are
rather right-leaning politically and so many people are employed by coal and
energy companies that anything that comes across as "environmentalist" is met
with hostility by the general public, even though we are too often the victims
of horrendous incidents such as this, as well as highly questionable business
practices like fracking, mountain top removal, etc. Just Massey Energy's track
record alone is pretty disturbing:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massey_Energy#Environmental_re...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massey_Energy#Environmental_record)

And in recent memory, the Chesapeake incidents:

[http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/82EF516757FCD5DD8...](http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/82EF516757FCD5DD85257C4600814C2B)

I think a lot of people have essentially accepted things the way they are now
and aren't willing to rock the boat. There are a handful of documentaries that
come to mind- namely The Last Mountain, Coal Country, and Coal Rush- that are
pretty difficult to watch, but I think if more people in our area saw the
effects of our beloved industry they might see things differently. However, I
think most end up turning a blind eye to it out of fear of unemployment.

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rayiner
An environmental disaster like this is tragic, but in a way it's better when
it happens in a publicly visible way like this instead of silently poisoning
thousands of people over many years. Events like this are just the tip of the
iceberg when it comes to the externalized costs of coal. A Harvard study
estimated that coal mining and use inflicts a public health burden to the
Appalachian region of roughly $75 billion per year:
[http://solar.gwu.edu/index_files/Resources_files/epstein_ful...](http://solar.gwu.edu/index_files/Resources_files/epstein_full%20cost%20of%20coal.pdf)
(page 91). That's more than the entire GDP of West Virginia.

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ck2
If boiling and filtering is impossible to clean, well that means their water
table is screwed for decades, no?

Pretty much abandon the area or risk cancer.

"Freedom Industries" indeed.

~~~
jeffreyg
It completely depends on the type of chemical. Your scenario imagines
something like radiation. Perhaps the chemical isn't incredibly toxic and can
be flushed out. If someone spilled bleach you wouldn't be able to boil or
filter it out but you could dilute it to where it's safe for consumption.

~~~
maxerickson
City of St Albans water, mentioned in the story as safe, appears do be drawn
from the Kanawha, downstream of where the Elk River flows in.

So yeah, dilution appears to be the solution (really, the problem seems to be
that one treatment plant drew in a large quantity of contaminated water).

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Arjuna
I grew up in WV. My parents are still there. _Montani Semper Liberi_

I wanted to provide some information about the chemical that was spilled,
which is being reported to be 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol.

You may see it referred to in its shortened form as _MCHM_.

This chemical is used in a purification process called _froth flotation_. [1]
In the case of WV, it is used in coal purification.

OSHA guidelines list this chemical as hazardous. It is harmful if swallowed,
and causes skin and eye irritation. At elevated temperatures, vapor may cause
irritation of eyes and respiratory tract. [2]

If you are familiar with the so-called _fire diamond_ or NFPA 704 [3][4], this
chemical is listed as:

Instability/Reactivity (Yellow) 0:

Materials which in themselves are normally stable, even under fire exposure
conditions, and which are not reactive with water.

Flammability (Red) 1:

Materials that must be pre-heated before ignition can occur.

Health (Blue) 2:

Materials which on intense or continued exposure could cause temporary
incapacitation or possible residual injury unless prompt medical treatment is
given.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froth_flotation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froth_flotation)

[2]
[http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wvpn/files/201401/MSD...](http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wvpn/files/201401/MSDS-
MCHM_I140109214955.pdf)

[3]
[https://www.google.com/search?q=nfpa+704+fire+diamond&tbm=is...](https://www.google.com/search?q=nfpa+704+fire+diamond&tbm=isch)

[4]
[http://www.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/User/dnscms/pdf/broc/h...](http://www.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/User/dnscms/pdf/broc/hazmat12.pdf)

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incision
This is all over the local news here.

Coincidentally, I was just listening to some talk about alternative energy [0]
with some interesting arguments for solar and hydro power over coal.

Makes me wonder if we've become inured to the environmental cost/risk of coal
power and processing?

Also, coal is big part of the WV economy [1]. So this would seem to have the
potential for an extended impact.

First with the water problems. Second in any backlash that arises against the
industry in response to the spill.

0: [http://www.fiatlux.fm/pragmatic/2](http://www.fiatlux.fm/pragmatic/2)

1:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_West_Virginia#Coal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_West_Virginia#Coal)

~~~
jotm
I didn't even know that coal needs to be treated with dangerous chemicals -
add that to the list of problems with coal power...

~~~
code_duck
Coal processing also involves leaving giant reservoirs of fly ash, which can
lead to incidents such as this:
[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/27sludge.html?_r=0](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/27sludge.html?_r=0)

Not to mention mountain top removal mining, or any other destructive practices
considered A-OK in the industry.

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city41
I lived in WV for a while. A friend of mine who still lives there posted this
on her Facebook feed: green ice from the water --
[http://i.imgur.com/pzBsLRP.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/pzBsLRP.jpg)

