Appalachia

The Charleston Gazette
Charleston, WV
Monday, July 7, 2014
CDC survey says one-fifth of residents reported health issues after spill
By Ken Ward Jr., Staff writer

A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says more than one-fifth of households surveyed in the Kanawha Valley reported health effects that residents believed were related to toxic exposure following the January chemical leak from the Freedom Industries facility on the Elk River.

Like previous reports, the new CDC data says that most of the health effects involved rashes and skin irritation, with smaller numbers reporting respiratory illnesses, nausea or diarrhea. More than half of the households that reported any symptoms said they did not seek medical attention. Most residents said the problems were not serious enough, though some said they were concerned about the costs of treatment.

The CDC findings also supported the results of a Kanawha-Charleston Health Department survey, which found that as late as April, only about a third of area residents had resumed drinking tap water provided by West Virginia American Water’s regional treatment and distribution system.

Department of Health and Human Resources officials released the 66-page CDC report Monday afternoon. It shows the results of what the CDC calls a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response, or CASPER. In this case, the CDC interviewed members of 171 area households to gather information about the leak’s impacts.

- See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140707/GZ01/140709514/1419#sthash.tbH5t1Ek.dpuf