For hundreds of thousands of Ohio Valley residents, the chemical spill last week near Charleston was more than a problem for our neighbors. It was reason for us to be worried about the safety of our own drinking water, too.

About 300,000 people in the Kanawha Valley and nearby areas were told not to drink, bathe in, cook or wash clothes with tap water after the spill into the Elk River. It occurred at a chemical plant when a tank holding a liquid used in processing coal failed.

Though a state Department of Environmental Protection Agency official said the chemical is not lethal if swallowed, it is dangerous. Ingesting it can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches and diarrhea. Contact with the skin can cause rashes and itching.

Within hours after the spill was reported, an investigation was launched by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. No doubt other state and federal agencies will conduct their own probes.

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