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Hospital Impact After a Chemical Spill That Compromised the Potable Water Supply: West Virginia, January 2014
Joy Hsu1, Maria C Del Rosario2, Erica Thomasson1
11Epidemic Intelligence Service,Office of Public Health Scientific Services,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,Atlanta,Georgia.
Abstract:
In January 2014, a chemical spill of 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol and propylene glycol phenyl ethers contaminated the potable water supply of approximately 300,000 West Virginia residents. To understand the spill's impact on hospital operations, we surveyed representatives from 10 hospitals in the affected area during January 2014. We found that the spill-related loss of potable water affected many aspects of hospital patient care (eg, surgery, endoscopy, hemodialysis, and infection control of Clostridium difficile). Hospital emergency preparedness planning could be enhanced by specifying alternative sources of potable water sufficient for hemodialysis, C. difficile infection control, and hospital processing and cleaning needs (in addition to drinking water). (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:621-624).
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