On Monday, Philadelphia Officials says tap water is safe to drink now. But on Sunday the same officials had advised residents of Philadelphia ‘not to use tap water for any drinking purpose’.
Why Philadelphia Officials Says Tap Water is Safe to Drink Now?
Later Sunday, the Philadelphia Water Department cleared that the tap water, which comes through the Baxter plant will be safe to drink through 11:59 p.m., March 27. The city officials cleared that the residents of Philadelphia can use tap water for drinking and cooking purposes, and they no more have to stock bottled water.
Drexel University environmental and occupational health professor Arthur Frank said that Philadelphia officials are now monitoring the water in and near Baxter for three of the main chemicals involved in the incident – ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate, all of which can cause irritation if ingested, but should not be especially toxic in small concentrations.
Why Philadelphia residents were advised to drink “Bottled Water” Only?
On Sunday, the residents of the Philadelphia were advised to drink “Bottled Water” only, as the chemicals were released into the river of Delaware late Friday. The Water Department of Philadelphia said, “No contaminants have been found on our tap system, at this time. Out of an abundance of caution, residents in the impacted areas should switch their tap water to bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes”.
The advisory to avoid tap water for any drinking purpose came into seen during a press conference which were held in Philadelphia, on Sunday morning. The Local ABC affiliate reported, “Philadelphia Water Department customers in the city are recommended to use bottled drinking water beginning at 2:00 p.m. today until any another advisory.
Michael Carrol confirmed that a leak of a chemical spill of a latex product in Bristol Township spilled between 8,100 and 12,000 gallons of a water – based latex finishing solution into the river, late Friday night. He informed the residents of Philadelphia, “We are notifying the public in the customer service area that they may wish not to drink or cook with tap water”.
Carrol further added, “We cannot be 100% sure that there won’t be any traces of these chemicals in the tap water throughout the afternoon. To minimize further risks, we want the public to be aware and they should use bottled water for that until another advisory.
The city officials reported, it is non-toxic, and no health cases have been reported in the country. Latest update can be found in Philadelphia official site.
FAQs
What caused Philadelphia drinking water crisis?
Pipe ruptured on Friday at chemical plant Trinseo PLC, leaking hazardous material into a tributary of the Delaware River.
What happened after Philadelphia water incident?
Philadelphia officials asked residents to avoid tap water and drink bottled water only.
Was the drinking water contaminated after the Philadelphia incident?
Local authorities said later on Sunday that there had been no contamination in the city’s water system.
Is the Philadelphia tap water safe to drink now?
Philadelphia officials says tap water is safe to drink now. It was tweeted from official account that “Based on the latest hydraulic modeling and sampling results, we are confident that tap water from the Baxter plant will remain safe to drink”.
