By Kim Smiley

Hundreds of thousands of West Virginians were unable to use their water for days after it was contaminated by a chemical spill on January 9, 2014. About 7,500 gallons of 4-methyl-cyclohexane-methanol, known as MCHM, leaked out of a storage tank and into the Elk River.   At the time of the spill, little information was known about MCHM, but officials ordered residents not to use the use the water because the chemical can cause vomiting, nausea, and skin, eye and throat irritation.  The ban on water usage obviously meant that residents should not drink the water, but they were also told not to cook, bathe, wash clothes or brush their teeth with it.

The investigation into this incident is still ongoing, but some information is available.  An initial Cause Map, or visual root cause analysis, can be built now and it can easily be expanded in the future.  A Cause Map is used to illustrate the cause-and-effect relationships between the many causes that contribute to any incident.  In this example, it is known that the MCHM leaked into the river because it was being stored in a tank near the river and the tank failed.  MCHM was being stored in a tank because it is used in coal processing and it was profitable for the company to sell it.

The cause of the tank failure hasn’t been officially determined, but the company who owned the facility has stated that an object punctured the tank after the ground under the tank froze.  (Suspected causes can be included on the Cause Map with a question mark to indicate that more evidence is needed to confirm their validity.)

The tank in question was older, built about 70 years ago.  There were no regulations that required the tank to be inspected while it was being used to store MCHM because the chemical is not currently legally considered a hazardous material.  The tank is also an atmospheric tank so it is exempt from current federal safety inspections because it is not under pressure, cooled or heated.

Many are asking questions about why a tank full of a chemical that can make people sick that was so close to the water supply had so little regulation and no required inspections.  The debate that has been sparked by this accident will force a close review of current regulations governing these types of facilities.

It’s also alarming how little was known about this chemical prior to this accident.  It’s still not well understood exactly how dangerous MCHM is.  Experts have stated that the long term impacts should be minimal, but it would be awfully reassuring to the people living in the area if there was more information about the chemical available.

Companies need to have a clear understanding of the risks involved in their operations if they hope to reduce the risk to the lowest reasonable level and develop effective emergency response plans to deal with any issues that do arise.  As the old saying goes – failure to plan is planning to fail.  Just ask the company involved.  Freedom Industries filed bankruptcy papers on January 17, 2013 as a direct result of this accident.