After a recent chemical spill contaminated drinking water with 4-methylcyclohexane methanol in Charleston, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommended that pregnant women in the area should avoid drinking tap water and opt for bottled water instead.
The advisory was issued by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, six days after the chemical spill. Though no cases of ailment have been reported due to drinking tap water, the report states that "out of an abundance of caution, pregnant women drink bottled water until there are no longer detectable levels of MCHM in the water distribution system"
Lawrence Messina, a spokeswoman of the department said that it will notify citizens when the levels of MCHM in the water distribution system reach zero, subsequently lifting the advisory on pregnant women.
Jennifer Kayrouz, a 38 weeks pregnant woman who also has a Master's degree in public health and lives in Charleston seemed very upset with the new advisory. She claims that the health department shouldn't have lifted the water ban in the first place if they weren't sure about its safety. She accused the department of luring women into a false sense of security that the area's tap water was safe for drinking.
"It's very upsetting," ABC News quoted Kayrouz as saying. "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."
On January 9, 7,500 gallons of 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol, or Crude MCHM, a chemical used in the coal industry leaked into the Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia's capital and largest city, upriver from the plant run by West Virginia American Water. Immediately, more than 300,000 West Virginia residents were told not to drink tap water as it may be contaminated. They were asked to use the water only for flushing or fighting fires. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency for nine counties, and President Barack Obama issued an emergency declaration on January 10. The spill forced the closure of schools and businesses in the state capital.
The ban was lifted January 13 and people resumed drinking tap water.
"The numbers we have today look good, and we're finally at a point where the do-not-use order has been lifted in certain areas," Fox News quoted Gov. Earl Tomblin as saying. "We have made a lot of progress, but I ask all West Virginians to continue to be patient as we work to safely restore service to the affected areas."
However, the new advisory has again brought into question the safety of drinking tap water. Pregnant women argue that if the water is not safe for them to drink, is it safe for young children?
Not much is known about the effects of consuming 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol and how it may impact a developing fetus. However, experts highlight that the presence of this chemical in water can be detected by a very pungent licorice smell. The symptoms of consumption include Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, red or irritated skin, itching and/or rashes.
Click here and here to know more about the chemical.
Freedom Industries was the company responsible for the leakage. While the company stated that it wasn't like they intended for the leakage to happen but an Associate Press report revealed that they may have been able to prevent the occurrence.
ccording to the report, officials of the company last visited the site where the leakage took place in 2010 when nearby residents complained of a "strong odor of licorice." At that time, officials reportedly wrote in an email that the odor wasn't strong enough to take any action.
