2017 Volume 55 Issue 5 Pages 250-256
On January 9, 2014, a chemical leaked from an aboveground storage tank at the Freedom Industries'facility in Charleston, West Virginia, USA. The leaking chemical was originally reported as Crude MCHM, but 13 days later it was determined to be a mixture of Crude MCHM and PPH stripped, called Shurflot944. The chemical escaped through two holes on the tank bottom, and entered the adjacent Elk River. The chemical flowed downstream to the intake of the West Virginia American Water's water treatment plant. The plant was unable to remove the chemical, and the drinking water was contaminated. The Do NOT USE Order was issued for approximately 300, 000 residents who lived around Charleston. The U. S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released the final report on the cause of this incident on September 28, 2016. This paper describes the incident based on the CSB report.
