Pregnant women warned off West Virginia water in cleared areas

West Virginia officials said Thursday they have lifted a ban on drinking tap water for two-thirds of the customers affected by a chemical spill, but warned pregnant women to avoid it until the chemical is completely flushed from the pipes. One week after the spill into the Elk River prompted authorities to order some 300,000 people not to drink or wash with their tap water, officials have cleared more than 200,000 of them to start drinking the water again after tests showed levels below the 1 part per million level safety standard set by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But pregnant women should continue to steer clear of the water in an “abundance of caution” until the chemical is completely undetectable, West Virginia American Water said. The company said the CDC had advised there is still a “limited availability of data” on whether pregnant woman are more susceptible and advised that state water officials “consider an alternative drinking water source for pregnant women until the chemical is at non-detectable levels in the water distribution system.” The state attorney general, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia are investigating the January 9 leak of about 7,500 gallons (28,000 liters) of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, or crude MCHM, into the river.