Our Water is Safe Now

(2-Day Diet progress at end of post)

I believe our tap water is now safe. Personally, I’ve been using the water to bathe since the “do not use” order was lifted. I didn’t drink it when it had the odor of licorice, but have since late January. I’ve had no adverse reactions.

At a Congressional committee hearing in Charleston on February 10, none of our top health or environment officials would say the water is safe. They were following the lead of scientists at the Center for Disease Control, who say they expect no adverse health effects if the level of crude MCHM in water is below one part per million, but they do not use the word safe. Senators Shelly Moore Capito and Joe Manchin both pressed officials on whether they would call it safe. Senator Rockefeller said in a television interview that he wouldn’t drink the water if you paid him. Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the Kanawha Charleston Health Department, who has been a champion in calling for medical monitoring and more transparency, has suggested that because the Safe Drinking Water Act uses the word safe, the CDC should as well.

But politicians wrote the Safe Drinking Water Act, not scientists. If scientists had written it they might have called it the Reduced Risk Drinking Water Act. Why don’t scientists use the word safe? The first definition for safe in Merrium-Webster online is “free from harm or risk.” Are we ever 100% free from harm or risk? Studies have found bottled water no safer than tap water. A small elevated risk of bladder cancer may exist from drinking tap water over the course of a lifetime. Most of us put these small risks aside. After all, the big picture is that people are living longer and healthier lives.

I am not a scientist, but in 25 years teaching elementary school I learned to simplify complicated ideas into easily understandable chunks. This is how I would answer a curious elementary school student asking, “Mr. Epstein, is the water safe?” The risk of the water is so small that it is now safe for any use including drinking for almost everyone.

“How small is the risk?”  Because of how little is actually known about this chemical, scientists can’t say exactly. However, because the scientists at CDC have studied other chemicals like this, both more harmful and less harmful, their expert opinion based on available information is that it isn’t a risk to health if you drink a normal amount of water and if the level of the chemical in the water is beneath the level of 1 part per million in water.

“How did they come up with the safe level?” Through some standard tests on animals that had been made on the main chemical present in the spill, they determined a level below which no harmful health effects were found. They then set a screening level, which I’ll call the safe level, 1,000 times less than that to account for various things they didn’t have information about; such as that it hadn’t had human testing.

“How sure are the CDC scientists that it’s safe now?” Very confident. The levels at the water company have been at non-detectable since about a week after the spill. That meant that either there was none of the chemical in the water or it was less than 10 parts per billion (ppb), 100 times less than the safe level. In recent weeks, using a more exact test, they have found the levels in most of the nine county area to be below 2 ppb or 500 times below the safe level.

“Why did it smell after they said it was usable?” Some people can detect the smell even down to 1 ppb.

“I haven’t smelled it for awhile. Does that mean there is none of the chemical in the water anymore?” It is likely below 2 ppb or not present.

I understand why the Governor decided to allay fears by starting home testing, but mark my words, those conducting the testing will not likely declare the water safe, even if they find no significant elevated levels of harmful chemicals. It will be up to our leaders, Governor Tomblin, Senators Manchin and Rockefeller, Congresswoman Capito and public health officials to show some courage and leadership and declare the water safe and that they will do everything in their power to keep it safe. They need to unmercifully prosecute those who contaminated the water, pass and enforce more stringent laws and regulations, and make sure that water companies have alternate sources of water for emergencies. If there is a next time, we might not be so “lucky.” It might be a highly toxic substance entering the system and causing immediate and tragic health effects.

My 2-Day Diet Progress Week 17: 

Beginning weight 11/3/13: 209 lbs.

Height 5'8" Age: 61

Goal weight: 165 lbs.

Total loss goal: 44 lbs.

Beginning waist size: 43 in.

Current waist size: 39 in.

Weight end of week 17:  186 lbs.

Gain/Loss this week:  no change

Total Gain/Loss:  -23 lbs.

This Land is Our Land

This Land is Our Land

February 9, 2014

(today’s Diet Challenge ‘report’ is at the end of this post)

Today it is one month since the water crisis in WV began. Pete Seeger died on 1/27, and in searching for some of the songs he’d written I came across a couple verses of Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land he penned, one about income inequality, and one on the environment. And I also saw other verses of Woody’s much more hard hitting than the version usually sung. I had gone to a town hall meeting during which Erin Brockavich and one of her team talked about the need for this community to engage in ongoing community activism in order to start getting our governor to direct the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to enforce existing laws, let alone getting the legislature to pass new ones. There were some mountain top removal activists there also making the point that in the coalfields of WV, the DEP has been letting coal companies destroy their streams and poison their water for years without taking action. So, one sleepless night, after writing a new verse to This Land is Your Land, I went down into my basement, set up my i-phone on a tripod and videoed myself talking about what’s been going on and singing This Land is Your Land. I found my voice, sad but resolute, and I am now committed to doing what I can to hold our politicians to the promise of clean water and a healthy environment, a cause I’ve only supported with lip service and a few donations until now. The video (with some editing), is fifteen minutes long and I plan to put it up on YouTube, but am trying to get permission from the holders of Woody Guthrie’s copyrights first. What follows is a transcript:

Three weeks ago on January the ninth, 2014, there was a chemical storage tank that leaked and spilled its contents, or at least ten thousand gallons of its contents, into the Elk River a mile or so north of Charleston, WV where I live. You’ve probably heard about it; it made national and even international news. Because, well, the water company, a private company, a profit making company, didn’t shut their water intakes, didn’t realize what the chemical was; they thought their systems would filter the water. So, it got into the water supply, and they figured out after a day, you know, several hours, that they had a possibly poisonous chemical in the water system in our city. So they put out a Do Not Use order to all the customers of this West Virginia American Water Company.

They cut off water to, you know, 300,000 customers in nine counties around the capital city of WV. We’re only a city in the city limits of about 50,000, so it’s a wide geographical area that they serve. And we were told not to drink the water, not to wash or use the water, except to flush our toilets or to put out fires.

After four days they started approving certain areas. They said, “Your water is safe now to use, to drink.” People are confused and angry and scared. And there’s been a lot of conflicting reports. There’s not much known about this chemical, MCHM, a chemical used in the process of cleaning coal to make it ready for market, for burning.

So this week, Pete Seeger died, and if you don’t know who he was, Google him and listen to his music – ninety-four years old, sang and was an activist for the Earth, and for labor and for every good cause in the last 70 years. And, you know, he was in the same, almost the same generation as Woody Guthrie. Woody was obviously a little older. And Pete sang Woody’s songs too, and so I’m going to honor Pete with a song he sang a lot, This Land is Your Land, this land is my land. But you know Woody wrote verses that you probably haven’t heard. I’m going to sing those verses in addition to the chorus. And Pete wrote a couple verses, and I’m going to sing those. And I wrote a verse, just yesterday, and I’m going to try to get through that.

This land is your land,

This land is my land,

From California to the New York Island,

From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters,

This land was made for you and me.

One bright sunny morning, in the shadow of the steeple,

By the relief office I saw my people,

As they stood there hungry, I stood there wondering if,

This land was made for you and me.

Was a big high wall there that tried to stop me,

Was a great big sign that said, "Private Property,"

But on the other side, it didn't say nothing,

That side was made for you and me.

Nobody living can ever stop me,

As I go walking my freedom highway,

Nobody living can make me turn back,

This land was made for you and me.

This land is your land (sing it with me)

This land is my land (California)

From California to the New York Island,

From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters (Katrina),

This land was made for you and me.

So yeah, those were Woody’s verses, and you know just singing “Gulf stream waters, and thinking about Deep Water Horizon and the tragedy that was Katrina.  Deep Water Horizon, of course the oil rig that spilled, broke and dumped millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico despoiling their waters.

These next two verses were Pete’s verses, and you know, I don’t know when he wrote them, but this first one’s about inequality and that’s a bit topic right now, and it has been for a long time, but it’s just been getting worse and worse – inequality of income.

Maybe you've been working as hard as you're able,

But you've just got crumbs from the rich man's table,

And maybe you're thinking, was it truth or fable,

That this land was made for you and me.

Woodland and grassland and river shoreline,

To everything living, even little microbes,

Fin, fur, and feather, we're all here together,

This land was made for you and me.

This land is your land,

This land is my land,

From California to the New York Island,

From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters,

This land was made for you and me.

Well, my verse is really about Mountain Top Removal coal mining, because as bad as we’ve had it in Charleston the last three weeks, people of southern West Virginia in the coalfields, and in Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Virginia, parts of North Carolina, maybe into Tennessee, are living through a kind of strip mining called Mountain Top Removal. They just plain cut the tops off the mountains and push ‘em over into the valleys. And, uh, you know it covers up the streams, miles and miles and miles of streams. It kills everything, and nothing can grow there. I mean they, they, they spray something on it, makes grass grow. They, they say, “You can put.. shopping malls there.” The place is so depressed, there’s nobody putting shopping malls there. “You can put golf courses there.” It’ll never grow back. It’ll never come back.

And not only that, but it’s poisoning the water for the people down there. It’s been doing it for years and years. It’s poisoning the wells. It’s poisoning the people. The rates for cancer are through the roof! And, these people are strong, proud people. But they’re giving up the fight, and they’re doing drugs, their kids are hopeless and their education system is failing because all the money’s been leaving. And all the jobs have been leaving, because it’s all done by machine. It’s not like the underground mines, which are dangerous and have big machines that require a little more manpower. It’s a, it’s a travesty. Oh well, time to sing:

Our Mountain Mama, they’ve spoiled your water

Cut down your mountains, it’s a true slaughter

But we will rise up and stand together

This land was made for you and me.

Well, that last line, This land was made for you and me, that’s not, it didn’t work for me,  it doesn’t work for me, I mean it’s the song,  I had to change that, because, you know, this land has been here before we were here, before the Native Americans were here. You know there’s a verse of this song written by Native Americans that says, This land was our land before it was your land, you stole it from us.” I don’t know the rest of it. But this land wasn’t made for us to do whatever we want with it—to destroy it….This land is for us, to take care of and leave for our children and grandchildren and those who come after us. And we have Got. To stop this Mountain Top Removal coal mining. We have Got. To Stop. Destroying our mountains, our rivers, our streams. And, you know, whatever cause, wherever you live, write yourself a verse for this song and add this line to the end of it. This line that says, this last line instead of, “This land was made for you and me,” “Saving this land will be our legacy. Saving this land,” wherever you are or come down here and help us save this land. Help us change our government’s mind.

There’s not a War on Coal.  There’s a War on West Virginia. There’s a war on the mountains! There’s a war on the rivers! There’s a war on the People of West Virginia! I’ve been here forty years, and like the people who were born here (I wasn’t born here), I love this land. And I love living here, and there’s a whole lot of people in this town  who are talking about leaving. And that’s the ways it’s been in southern West Virginia for years and years they’ve been leaving, and….(sniff), and not coming back…they love it, or…. so sing this one with me for the people of West Virginia.

Our Mountain Mama, they’ve spoiled your water

Cut down your mountains, it’s a true slaughter

But we will rise up and stand together, saving

This land will be our legacy

Saving this land will be our legacy.

The video ends there and the final credit reads, “learn more, donate, take action” along with a link to a site that serves as a clearinghouse for all the Mountain Top Removal and environmental groups working in the southern Appalachians: www.ilovemountains.org . I hope you will click and join me in fighting this scourge.

Here's how I'm doing on the 2-Day Diet. I'm half way to my goal!

Beginning weight 11/3/13: 209 lbs.

Height 5'8" Age: 61

Goal weight: 165 lbs.

Total loss goal: 44 lbs.

Beginning waist size: 43 in.

Current waist size: 39 in.

Weight end of week 14:  187 lbs.

Gain/Loss this week: -1 lb.

Total Gain/Loss:  -22 lbs.

Navigating Confusing Waters

*2 Day Diet report at end

In the Governor’s letter of January 27 to FEMA requesting continuing aid including bottled water he says that despite the government’s best efforts “…many people no longer view their tap water as safe and are continuing to demand bottled water…It is impossible to predict when this will change, if ever.” Many are boycotting any restaurant that will not agree to cook or even wash dishes with water from outside the area. It is hard for some to believe that small amounts of this chemical, “non-detectable” amounts of 10 parts per billion or less, more than 100 times below the level deemed safe by CDC scientists, could carry so much odor. It is hard for people to believe water smelling like licorice will not cause them harm. Many are just plain frightened, angry, suspicious and skeptical. Their sense of trust has been compromised.

Governor, you acknowledge your best efforts have not been good enough. That’s because this is not a problem you can ‘fix’. This is an education and credibility problem. Press conferences won’t do it. I attended the Town Hall Meeting sponsored by WCHS on January 29. No one on the panel contested claims that the water remains a danger to all of us. It would have been helpful to have your commissioner of Public Health, Dr. Tierney or someone from the CDC, and someone from WV American Water. You need to send a team of experts to town meetings in every affected area to listen to people’s fears and present them with balanced viewpoints and evidence. ScientificAmerican.com published, “How Dangerous is the Coal-Washing Chemical that Spilled in West Virginia?” on January 10, describing why people should not panic over this chemical. Among many other facts about what is known and unknown, it explains that 4-MCMH, will dissipate from air in less than a day, from water in about two weeks, and from the sludge at the bottom of a river (and presumably from hot water tanks), in one hundred forty days. You should have the article updated and put in every mailbox in the state. That is not to say that this isn’t a dangerous substance in large enough quantities such as were present at the spills beginning and perhaps even now for the pregnant women, the elderly, infants, and those with lowered immunity or allergic reactions.

I hope those responsible at Freedom Industries go to jail; WV American Water company should pay damages (and not recoup them through a rate hike) for their poor judgment allowing the chemical into their system; We need new laws to give appropriate agencies the power to regulate and inspect all facilities that transport, store, and use all potentially harmful chemicals that can foul our air, water, or land; Those sickened must have medical bills paid and be compensated for lost work time; and more studies are needed on crude MCMH to determine conclusively what dangers exposure may pose in the long term; medical monitoring should be instituted, at least for those who had greatest exposure or were sickened.

I respect anyone who decides they will no longer drink the water. Erin Brockavich and her associate told us not to use the water because unknown compounds were created from chlorine treatment. Their experience with hazardous pollutants around the country has taught them to err on the side of caution. But, isn’t there also a point at which you decide not to assume the worst? If exposure after the do not use order was lifted, hospital visits would have spiked. But the average number of hospital visits, stays, and calls to poison control per day decreased 60% or more since the early days of the spill. 

Strong emotions change our brains. The anger, frustration and fear many of us feel as we learn the very essence of life, water, is threatened, starts a chemical reaction in the brain making it difficult to think clearly, rationally, and objectively. Some of us may actually have a form of post-traumatic stress. Smells are particularly good at triggering past emotions. Every time we smell the licorice we may experience our initial emotion again.

Harness those emotions for good. We must do whatever it takes to put pressure on state government and WV American Water to clean up this mess and make sure it never happens again. According to Brockavich, we don’t need more laws, we need our laws enforced. Our DEP, many in the southern coalfields know from years of experience, does not enforce existing standards. If our legislators don’t pass needed legislation, and if our Governor will not direct DEP to enforce the law, we need to elect people who will make war on polluters and keep us safe, healthy, and prosperous!

Paul Epstein, a retired teacher, is a musician and writer living in Charleston

*Here's how I'm doing on the 2 Day Diet. 

Beginning weight 11/3/13: 209 lbs.

Height 5'8" Age: 61

Goal weight: 165 lbs.

Total loss goal: 44 lbs.

Beginning waist size: 43 in.

Current waist size: 40 in.

Weight end of week 13:  188 lbs.

Gain/Loss this week:  no change

Total Gain/Loss:  -21 lbs.