What chemicals leaked into the Elk River?

On January 9, 2014, the day of the  spill, it was revealed that Freedom Industries leaked a chemical called 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) into the Elk River. By the next day, the chemical was being referred to as "Crude MCHM." Eastman Chemical, the producer of Crude MCHM later released a material safety data sheet (MSDS) clarifying that Crude MCHM is actually a composite of seven different chemicals. In addition to being between 68 percent and 89 percent 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, Crude MCHM is 4 to 22 percent 4-(methooxymethyl)cyclohexanemethanol, 4 to 10 percent water, 5 percent methyl 4-methylcyclohexanecarboxylate, 1 percent dimethyl 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate, 1 percent methanol, and 1 to 2 percent 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol. Despite the fact that it was this cocktail of chemicals that leaked into the water, and not simply 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, the CDC used studies that only dealt with 4-methylcyclohexane methanol to decide that concentrations less than 1 part per million (ppm) were safe to drink. On January 21, 2014, twelve days after the spill, Gary Southern, President of Freedom Industries, revealed that there was another chemical in the tank, which he referred to as "PPH" that  Freedom Industries mixed into the MCHM 5.6 percent of the volume. "PPH" has been said to be made of polyglycol ethers.

Click here to see a copy of Freedom Industries' MSDS sheet for PPH obtained by the Charleston Gazette.

Click here to see statement released by the CDC relating to PPH.