NTP updates the public on studies of chemicals from West Virginia spill
NTP has launched a public Website to provide information and updates about NTP’s response to the January 2014 chemical spill into West Virginia’s Elk River, a municipal water source that serves about 300,000 people in the Charleston area. The 10,000 gallons of spilled chemicals was used to process coal and primarily contained 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM). Other chemicals were present in lower amounts.
In July 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry nominated the spilled chemicals to NTP for study. NTP began studies soon after receiving the nomination and in December 2014 launched a public Website with its research project plan and updates on a number of studies. The first set of updates included results from high throughput screening assays, structure-activity relationship analysis, and rat prenatal developmental toxicity evaluation. NTP plans to release another set of updates in February for the in vivo micronucleus assay and nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) toxicity study.
More information about NTP’s research plan, studies, and results for the West Virginia chemical spill can be found at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/wvspill.