"West Virginia Chemical Spill and Formaldehyde Hype," by Angela Logomasini. In this final post on my series related to the January 9 chemical spill in West Virgina, I address wrongheaded claims that the spill also exposed Charleston residents to dangerous levels of formaldehyde. A few weeks after the spill, West Virginia Environmental Quality Board Vice Chairman Scott Simonton alleged that final traces of crude MCHM are breaking down and exposing residents to dangerous levels of formaldehyde. … [Read more...]
Communication Failures and the West Virginia Chemical Spill
February 14, 2014
"Uncertainty and the West Virginia Chemical Spill," By Angela Logomasini on February 14, 2014. In the aftermath of the January 9 chemical spill in West Virginia, environmental activists claim: “More than two weeks after the spill, the answer to most questions about the spill and the chemicals in it is either that ‘we don’t know’ or that the information is incomplete.” Green groups make such claims to capitalize on the fact that everything in life has some uncertainty. But that does not mean … [Read more...]
TSCA Reform Not the Answer to the Chemical Spill
February 13, 2014
"TSCA Reform Won’t Reduce Chemical Spill Risks," By by Angela Logomasini. The January 9 chemical spill in West Virginia, which temporarily contaminated the Charleston drinking water supply, has rekindled a debate related to federal chemical regulation. Clearly, this case — and another spill that occurred this week in West Virginia — demonstrates the failure to properly implement the many emergency planning and prevention laws and programs already on the books. And this is a problem that state … [Read more...]
We Have Enough Information to Manage Chemical Spill Risk
February 13, 2014
"West Virginia Chemical Spill: We Have Enough Information to Manage the Risk," By Angela Logomasini. In a prior post, I addressed the background related to the recent chemical spill that contaminated drinking water in West Virginia, and I highlighted why more regulation would not do much good. But we continue to hear that we need more regulation because we don’t have enough information about this chemical and thousands of others. Such claims divert our attention from the real issue: failure to … [Read more...]
Chemical Spill Does Not Signal Need for More Regulation
February 10, 2014
"More Regulation Is Not the Answer to West Virginia Chemical Spill," by Angela Logomasini. The recent chemical spill in West Virginia has green groups clamoring for more regulation, including expansion of Environmental Protection Agency power under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Early on, however, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California rightly told the press, “We can fix this now” using existing laws rather than passing new ones. Boxer’s strong opposition to the current TSCA reform … [Read more...]
Chemical Spill & Formaldehyde Nonsense
February 5, 2014
"The West Virginia Formaldehyde Claim Is Nonsense," by Derek Lowe. This morning I heard reports of formaldehyde being found in Charleston, West Virginia water samples as a result of the recent chemical spill there. My first thought, as a chemist, was "You know, that doesn't make any sense". A closer look confirmed that view, and led me to even more dubious things about this news story. Read on - there's some chemistry for a few paragraphs, and then near the end we get to the eyebrow-raising … [Read more...]
