Chemical Spill in West Virginia Water May Have Started Weeks Ago

Mmmmm, licorice! Image from source, ThinkProgress

The chemical spill into the water supply in Charleston, West Virginia is lending credence to criticism of the "get rid of government regulations" crowd. It's always struck me as an overly simplistic, knee-jerk kind of mantra anyway. Sure, get rid of any regulations that are antiquated or that don't work as intended. But getting rid of regulations for the sake of it? It's preposterous. Regulations exist for a reason, and in this case it is quite obvious that more regulation (and enforcement of regulations) was needed. And how perfect is it that this company is called "Freedom Industries" and that the chemical was apparently a Koch Industries product?

Of course, this isn't over. Rivers flow into other rivers, and on from state to state, affecting poor and rich people alike. And what do you bet they're already formulating an odorless version of this chemical without the tell-tale licorice smell?

[Excerpt]

Water Contamination In West Virginia May Have Started Weeks Ago, Residents Believe
 
When Rich McGervey first heard about the major chemical spill into his water supply, he immediately thought of his five-year-old daughter. “My mind starts running in reverse,” McGervey, a Charleston-based attorney, said. “She had taken a bath Tuesday night, and Wednesday night. And Wednesday night as we were going to bed, she rips up her shirt and starts scratching all over and she says ‘my whole body is itching!’ And she’s never done that before. . .”

Read more at: Think Progress