On January 9, 2014, an undetermined amount of “Crude” 4 methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) spilled into the Elk River in West Virginia. The spill occurred approximately 1.5 miles upstream of the Kanawha Valley water treatment plant operated by West Virginia American Water. It was not clear when the spill had started or how much of the chemical had made its way into the Elk River. Little was known about Crude MCHM components but critical decisions needed to be made quickly. These decisions included whether or not to stop pumping Elk River water into the treatment plant, what if any treatment should be applied and whether or not the water was safe for intended uses. A rapid mobilization of resources was required that included state, federal, water industry and private sector experts. The results of this accidental spill were that approximately 300,000 residents of the affected area were without water for all uses other than flushing toilets for up to 9 days. After the do not use order was lifted the licorice odor persisted, leading to a reluctance by many residents to use tap water for anything other than toilet flushing. One month after the spill most chemical analyses were reporting non-detect values significantly lower than health effects screening levels established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) while the licorice odor was still present. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin funded an independent group of experts to evaluate the seemingly inconsistent results of the chemical analysis and the persistent odor.<br/>The independent science team developed a plan that included an independent assessment of health effects and safe levels for use of water that is contaminated with MCHM, pilot testing for MCHM in 10 homes to develop estimates of variability, evaluation of Crude MCHM oxidation breakdown products and odor threshold values. MCHM was detected in 10 homes at levels that were much lower than the safe levels determined by the Health Effects Expert panel, but still above the odor threshold level determined by the team. Odor threshold testing established that Crude MCHM odor can be detected at levels far lower than analytical detection limits which are far lower than safe levels. This explains why consumers smelled the licorice odor while analytical results were below detection limits. This presentation will frame the issues and lessons learned from this accident and will present specific results from the WV TAP study efforts.

Chemical spill of crude MCHM into the Elk River

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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