West Virginia Lifts “Do Not Use” Restriction

Customers of West Virginia American Water Company have received a cautious, “all clear” to resume normal water usage activities in the wake of the early January chemical spill that affected Elk River sources of drinking water for Charleston and neighboring communities.  Despite new information provided by Freedom Industries on January 21st that an additional chemical, called PPH, was also part of the original spill, the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health has consulted with the CDC and reports that currently available toxicological information on PPH indicates that there are no new health concerns given the small amount of PPH that was in the tanks and released.  West Virginia American, however, is still advising that pregnant women may want to continue using alternate water supplies until a determination is made that the chemical in question, 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (also known as crude MCHM), is at non-detectable levels in the water distribution system.