Saturday, January 11, 2014

Our Notes on the West Virginia Chemical Spill

We had to come back for the West Virginia Chemical Spill which is said to have began on January 9, 2014.  "Hard facts" have been hard to come by.  Is the chemical "raw" (as one source reported) or is it a blend?  We ask the question as the alleged company involved (Freedom Industries) uses at least one known affiliate for blending - Poca Blending.  The web server (at this posting time) for Freedom Ind. is offline.  Checked the Freedom Industries website today Jan. 14, 2014: West Virginia Chemical Spill: Freedom Industries site online:

 

Source: All of the internet.

 
It has taken days to get these notes together.  So this posting is going to look messier than usual.  Apologies.
 
 
The Notes:
 

From 1_10_2014

Confirmed @NotOnTwtr The spill originated from Freedom Industries according to West Virginia American Water. worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&A

West Virginia Public Media reported that too wvpublic.org/post/state-eme. But good to get confirmation!




According to this link Freedom Industries did not report spill for 10 hours: http://wvpublic.org/post/5-things-we-dont-know-about-drinking-water-emergency-west-virginia W Virginia Public Media.

Here's the MSDS sheet for 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol, the chemical involved in @wvamwater contamination:http://t.co/2Y8Ad3481c

 

The MCHM could be a blend with almost anything in it. Freedom Ind. lists Poca Blending affiliate: pocablending.com/services/defau




 

1% methanol in the Eastman MCHM msds. Not sure of the stuff from Freedom Industries.

MCHM has a German CAS file: tcichemicals.com/eshop/en/ch/co. CAS # 34885-03-5. Other things blended in? But is free methanol in it?


 

MSDS on the Chemical spilled in W. Va: mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wvpn/files/2 "Strong irritant". The methanol part is likely the worst.


100K West Virginians cannot use tap H2O due to chemical spill. avideos.5min.com//808/5180808/5 Via Newsy. 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol.

Chemical spill in West Virginia leads to tap water ban for 300,000 people | via @Telegraph http://fw.to/qDDrRyb




Updated 1_11_2014

"Update" 4 Hospitalized, Dozens Seek Treatment After West Virginia Chemical Spill http://ti.me/1cOvU8R  via @TIME


West Virginia chemical spill is in the Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Elk_River_chemical_spill 


MCHM in the Wikipedia now: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-methylcyclohexanemethanol  4-methylcyclohexanemethanol. May or may not be fully accurate.

Freedom Ind. personnel may have had some previous controversies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Elk_River_chemical_spill#Background 

Freedom Ind. personnel may have had some previous controversies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Elk_River_chemical_spill#Background 

Via @Wikipedia Elk River is the only known habitat of the diamond darter (fish): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_darter …

Mayor of Charleston, W.Va., says water emergency is devastating his community - http://goo.gl/news/43mq via http://news.google.com/


 via @SeattlePI

FEMA page on W. Va. Chemical Spill (EM 3366) http://www.fema.gov/disaster/3366

Public Health Emergency Page from DH+HS FOR WEST VIRGINIA http://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/wv-chemical/Pages/default.aspx

President Obama Signs West Virginia Emergency Declaration | The White House: http://wh.gov/lIW3K

 @whitehouse (Released 1/10.)

West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection URL: http://www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/ee/hw/Pages/default.aspx

Ooh! The @USGS H20 Water Quality Assessment of West Virginia: http://water.usgs.gov/wid/html/wv.html

Service adds West Virginia fish to endangered species list: http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2013/043.html#.UtGNESOJyzU.twitter



Page by .Page by . - Service adds West Virginia fish to endangered species list. July 25, 2013

 

 Should the diamond darter be a symbol of the spill?

 

Credit/Source: US Govt. Work; Public Domain; Fish and Wildlife Service.

 



Freedom Industries web server is down? 8D pic.twitter.com/bGFfzC4sS1




Description: Embedded image permalinkPost on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+AmandaRachelleWarren/posts/VAiVEZ717nG

Officials silent on water timetable  - News - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports - http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201401110010

Bottled water for West Virginia residents plagued by chemical in - KiiiTV3.com South Texas, Corpus Christi, Coastal Bend http://www.kiiitv.com/story/24423917/bottled-water-for-west-virginia-residents-plagued-by-chemical-in-water-supply#.

FAKE BREAK NEWS Elk River nicknamed "Sh*t Creek". Gov. Christie of NJ seen paddling up it...

Update 1_14_2014







Tweets (posted by Kenwardjr and HuffPostPol) on the WV Chemical Spill seems to show that the WV and US Govt don't give a...

1.       Kenwardjr 12 Jan

Three years ago this month, @chemsafetyboard urged WV to help Kanawha County set up chemical accident prevention program. State said no.

 

1.       HuffPostPol 5m

John Boehner on West Virginia chemical spill: "We have enough regulations" http://huff.to/1d0zlJH

 

@NotOnTwtr The area where the spill happened is known as 'Chemical Valley', West Virginia. Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/13/hundreds-report-exposure-symptoms-in-w-va-after-crippling-chemical-spill/ …

1.     



CNN-4 hours ago

That was the setup in West Virginia last week when a chemical spill contaminated a river supplying water to hundreds of thousands of people.


3.    NPR-3 hours ago



Department of Defense ‎- 1 day ago

Hundreds of thousands of people in nine West Virginia counties are unable to use their tap water as a precaution following a chemical spill.

 


democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?...west-virginia-chemical...

23 hours ago - ... last week's toxic chemical spill in West Virginia. Although Freedom Industries was storing thousands of gallons of a potentially toxic chemical ...

 


louisvilleky.gov/.../West+Virginia+Chemical+Spill+Not+a+Concern+for+Lo...

19 hours ago - chemical spill, West Virginia, drinking water, Elk River, Ohio River.


www.csb.gov/csb-deploys-to-chemical-spill-in-charleston-wv/

o    Cached

Washington DC, January 11, 2014 – An investigative team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying to the scene of a massive spill into the Elk ...

 

 

Stephen Colbert’s take on: Water Crisis in West Virginia http://on.cc.com/1lYWaCl

 via @ColbertReport