■

How W. Virginia's Chemical Spill Threatens US Water Supply

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIrauhkSRJg

1 Last friday one of the most devastating U.S health disaster since the deep water horizon oil spill took place in WV.

2 Over three hundreds thousand of residents were unable to use the tap water after the WV American water company admitted the storage tank of the chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol had leaked in the city of charleston  water supply.

3 Now you'd think the story actually affects hundreds of thosands of Americans would garner(were gone) around the clock coverage(cover )from the US media this weekend,  but(But) we all know that(the) Hollywood celebrities just don't get enough air(it up your fair) time.

5 Tomorrow one of the Hollywood biggest name running the red carpet for the annual Golden Globe awards.

6 You 've got the real of red carpet.
You've got Bradley Cooper.and you've got guys walking around with foods.
I love Hollywood.

7 Well did you sleep last night ?

8 How's I look? Hollywood as two thing really well,one is give that awards and the other is to themselves and the other is ?? party last night did get both .

9 Now it will be fair CNN was in large case in beginning but I can't say the same as the party in a huck corpo television.
 
10 Thanks for lead the situation have been proved since last Friday according to the WV's governer Earl Lay Tomblin and official are  gradually lifting a water drinking ban and as on by on basis.

11 What damages have already been done or what is the lack of regulations when it comes to the chemical spills meaning for the future safety of U.S watersupply.

12 Let me out to discussed our the correspondent Meghan Lopez with Dane  at the ground at the site thank you so much for coming on, Meghan.

13 Thanks for having me.

14 First,Briefly explain what the heck that   chemicals that I've just said is.

15 All right, well then get to start with the name it's the 4-methylcyclohexane methanol or MCHM for short.

16 It's a forming agent that is used to clean coal right before goes to the market.

17 So as discribed someone between a d?? and or airfreshner we on that reseachers,we really don't know all that much about I really don't know much of s?? as well any way.

18 Unblievable.

19 Even if the water is drinkable now.I mean What kind of damages we are talking about that've already been done.any long term health affections most of  them havd been already coming contact with the chemical.

20 Well,for the short answer to that is that we simply don't know.

21 That is because there are so little researches that actually have been done on this chemical.

22 So things that we don't know for instance well let me read a statement at first the meterial safety date sheet for occupations how to safety administration said no specific information is available in our daily basis regarding to a toxic effect of this material for humans.

23 So they don't know the effect of it has how and when it comes to this kind of disposal in a water delusion of it.

24 They don't know the long term effect in the air.

25 They don't know the long term effect on the animals.

26 They don't know the long term effect on those red pipes that traveled through.

27 They have no idea if how to get rid of it.

28 They had to come up with the way to accually test for in the water in the first place.

29 Oh my god.That is so co?.

30 And you are saying that even on the company's website I mean it just the virtually known information at all available well this is.

31 Exactly.

32 Unblievable.How the leak reported in the first place how the this company were yakked when it came out?

33 Oh.it is very interesting.Just give you the short little time line.

34 Between seven to eight am people 've started  noticing a liquroush smells in the air so they started calling into local authorities  asking them to check it out.

35 On ten thirty am is when the president of freedom inderstry which is the company that leaked this chemical Gary Southern said that his employees have forced to notice this leak.

36 It wasn't until eleven am when the DEP went down there and started knocking on door and asking what is going on and then twelve thirty Freedom Industry finally call the emargency hot line saying that there was a spill.

37 But it was'nt until 5 pm residents for finally notified about this spill and the do-not-drink-water ban actually put on.

38 So 9 hours people were drinking water using to wash their hands dishes and clothes everything under the sun and they had no idea that this water was potentially toxic.

39 Now in terms of how the company responded they have promised period some of the promise  at Friday briefing to be transparent.

40 However that statement at consequence press conference was anything but transparent.

41 They actually tried to walk away two times from the press conference and they came back answerd a couple of other questions.

42 But they have not  put out ever since.

43 Well take it through how this actually happened.Meghan, this seems to be ?? question isn't it?

44 How this something like this is happenning with safety inspections and you know supporsedly over sight on this site.

45 Well, there is supposed to be over sight.
However I can tell you for this specific site.

46 They has not been inspection since get this 1991.

47 It was a different company under a different name with a different owner.

48 Now the reason for that is the reason hasn't  been inspected since 1991 was because this site wasn't subjected to most regulations because it has storage facilities not a processing or manufacturing facilities.

49 The site was really fixed in kind of apparent ? between who should be regulating it and as a result it hasn't been regulated.

50 Now the EPA also doesn't regulate about ground  chemical storage site and for many industry.

51 But it does asked them to have some kind of the back up plan which is usually dumping into the river, if there is some kind of catastrophe, so they had contaminate the water   that's also available.

52 Oh,my god.You know I can't help to notice that during my research on this spill.At first one of the ofcouse the number how much higher and now it saying you know the ban is lifting on by on basis.

53 I am just wondering, do you think it possible for governer trying to kind of the ?? 

54 And it is potentially is't as safe as people are making at ?? we don't even know what those chemical is.

55 Well that it is a very good question. Honestly to the best of the governer and government knowledge to their credit this is everything safe.

56 However all those reasons that I've said before about not knowing the long term effect or exactly the reasons, why they are it still qestionable at the moment.

57 Honestly if I was living there right now I am not sure if I would be drink it or not just because the question mark still surrounding this chemical.

58 Now when it comes to the residents and how they are responding.
Most of them are not mad at Freedom Industries.Most of them are not mad at the coal industries.Most of them are not asking for more regulations.They are mad at the governer because there isn't a emergency water source available to them.

59 But you have to understand a coal industry in WV is a major industry.

60 It supplies to direct jobs for 20 thousands people and indirect jobs for another 70 thousands people is a 6-billion-doller industry in that state.

61 So obviously these people are really depended on the coal industry they going to support it  no matter What will happened .

62 You know I cann't help but questioning what is this incidence say about the kind of b?? the entire  U.S water supply here.

63 It's very bonable that ??

64 Honestly most ? or not any more or less prepare than WV at Charleston was at the moment and it said that in the emergency crisis are you have to call into the department like the department of security and FEMA and national guard and all of the troops just coming in to respond three hundreds thousands residents .
So on a larger scale that can be very scarely.

65 Year, I mean,what if,if there would be worst someone that want to poison in the water supply, I wondered I mean how easy is the access to these things.  are really important entirely city out or even bigger .Make it it's kind of the really scarely to think about.

66 Is anything on the hell been done about water safety right now ?

67 There is.But it is less than water safety.

68 So on the same day, that this leak was reported in Charleston WV the house passed resolution to 279 known as reducing excessive dead line obligations act so the what is pretty much down party line was the Republicans all voting yes and  Democrats pretty much all voting no.and What it is meant  ???comprehensive environmental response conversation liability.

69 So what that means is it said that these companies don't have to have enough insurance for the clean up in case something spilled.

70 It also said that this would be the govenment have to consolve the state before put more regulations in place.

71 Now something else that came up with WV stay ?? it past that April 17,2013, said that another chemical called running which was used to  ??removar a processes  and actually raise ?? to be able to have that in water supply.

72 So a lot of more striping of the environmental regulations and more kind of the you know increase the benefit for the corpolate mastar here Meghan thank you for coming the breaking this ??  be on the ground It was really important issue.
Thanks so much.