What West Virginians Should Have Been Told To Survive Poisoning

Over a month of approximately 300,000 West Virginians being exposed daily to Freedom Industries’ leaked poison in their water and air, they still have not been provided adequate information on how to survive the chemical attack on their homes and persons.

Poisons continue to bioaccumulate in southern West Virginia human and animal bodies.  [Special Report: West Virginia 3-prong poison coverup]

Residents remain outraged and fearful of the state’s botched response and cover-up of the chemical crisis. [Post 9/11 Emergency Preparedness $Billions? 2 States Botch Predictable Emergency Responses, Put Citizens in Harm’s Way]

The National Terror Alert Response Center of the Department of Homeland Security provides information in a document applicable for victims of a chemical attack. This information has been withheld from West Virginians , from immediately following the poisons entering their water and air through today.

Some 300,000 residents have been denied evacuation standard operating procedure as recommended by Homeland Security in these pages of standard operating procedures regarding chemical exposure over a wide area, as detailed below.

Some 300,000 residents have sought answers not forthcoming by government officials. While some government officials admitted that they do not have enough information on Freedom Industries’ chemical, Crude MCHM, they neglected to warn residents soon enough about dangers of chemical posioning and lifted a water ban in some areas without adequately testing the water, according to scientists.

One known chemical in the water and air, “Crude MCHM,” has one part that;s proprietary top secret, the part that the government has not tested. There are other chemicals, including but not limited to PHh and the carcinogen formaldehyde. 

No agency had conducted regular inspections of Freedom Industries’ holding tanks, “even though they are perched on a steep bank that tumbles down to the river northeast of downtown Charleston.” (LA Times)

“Not likely”? Why did thousands of residents pour into emergency rooms and call the poison hotlines – suffering with signs of having been poisoned – even after government officials lifted the water ban in their areas? There are a number of possible reasons.

Is any amount of a poisonous chemical, with an unknown, secret ingredient – safe? 

This mystery chemical is so unsafe, the government advised pregnant women and children to not drink the water in their homes, even in counties where the water ban has been lifted.  

[See: WV Chemical Mystery Deepens: Pregnant Women Water Ban Issued, Military Involved]

Daily, West Virginians have been asking what measures they can take to protect themselves from being poisoned. This question, as many others, continues to go unanswered. Some are so fed up, they took to the streets in the state’s capital, Charleston, protesting the shroud of secrecy covering up the state of emergency and heightening crisis.

Although the National Terror Alert Response Center says “no current threat” exists today, West Virginians are being poisoned, as though a terror attack had occurred. The Center provides a detailed list of what to do and what not to do when a chemical attack has occurred.

What To Do In A Chemical Attack (From Vampire of Macondo, Chapter: Gassed In The Gulf)

The National Terror Alert Response Center’s definition of a chemical attack is: “deliberate release of a toxic gas, liquid or solid that can poison people and the environment.’

One might quibble over the word “deliberate.” A “spill” is an accident. When a person or company is told to stop doing something because its dangerous and it keeps doing it over and over, until the disaster occurs, it is no accident. When a person is told to stop balancing a glass of liquid on the edge of a table because its bound to fall, and the person continues to do so until it falls, it is not considered an accident.

The response center’s signs and instructions (slightly edited for brevity, below) of a chemical attack are as applicable in the case of West Virginia’s widespread chemical exposure as they would be for any terror chemical attack. The exposure hazards and subsequent protocol are the same.

Life-saving information and action alerts provided by the National Terror Alert Response Center should have been provided to the 300,000 West Virginians poisoned in the Freedom Industries chemical leak crisis, so they could survive.  

Possible Signs of Chemical Threat

• Many people [suffer] watery eyes, twitching, choking, trouble breathing or coordination loss and many birds, fish or small animals are sick.
• Quickly try to define impacted area or where the chemical is coming from.
• Take immediate action to get away.
• If chemical is inside a building where you are, get out of building without passing through contaminated area, if possible.
• Otherwise, it may be better to move as far away from where you suspect the chemical release is and “shelter-in-place.”
• If you are outside, quickly decide fastest escape from the chemical threat. Consider if you can get out of the area, or follow “shelter-in-place” plans.
• If You Think You Have Been Exposed to a Chemical
• If eyes water, skin stings, and breathing is troubling, you might have been exposed to a chemical.
• If you think you might have been exposed, strip immediately and wash.
• Look for a hose, fountain, or any water source and wash with soap if possible, being sure not to scrub the chemical into your skin.
• Seek emergency medical attention.

Responding to an Attack

Aside from their common lethality, there’s no one-size-fits-all when describing types and effects of possible chemical or biological agents. Chemical agents are generally liquids, often aerosolized, and most have immediate effects or delayed a few hours.

Biological agents differ in that the effects are delayed, often for days. The effects of toxins, such as botulism toxin, occur typically in less than a day. Living biological agents, such as anthrax or plague, generally take 2-5 days for symptoms to appear. Biological agents have no odor or color and can be in either liquid or powder form.

Many different potential chemical and biological agents exist that a terrorist could use as a weapon, but we make the following broad generalizations:

• Although food or water contamination or absorption through skin is each a possible attack route, most experts agree inhalation of chemical or biological agents is most likely and effective means. Protection of breathing airways is the single most important factor in a situation where chemical or biological agents may be present.
• Many likely agents are heavier than air and would tend to stay close to the ground. This dictates an upward safe-haven strategy.
• Basic decontamination procedures are generally the same no matter what the agent. Thorough scrubbing with large amounts of warm soapy water or a mixture of 10 parts water to 1 part bleach (10:1) will greatly reduce possibility of absorbing an agent through the skin.
• If water is unavailable, talcum powder or flour are also excellent means to decontaminate liquid agents. Sprinkle flour or powder liberally over affected skin area, wait 30 seconds, and brush off with a rag or gauze pad. (Note: powder absorbs the agent so brushed it off thoroughly. Use rubber gloves if possible.)
• Generally, chemical agents tend to present an immediately noticeable effect, whereas many biological agents will take days before symptoms appear. In either, medical attention should be sought immediately, even if exposure is thought to be limited.
• Most chemical and biological agents that present an inhalation hazard will break down fairly rapidly when exposed to the sun, diluted with water, or dissipated in high winds.
• No matter what the agent is or its concentration, evacuation from the area of attack is always advisable unless you are properly equipped with an appropriate breathing device and protective clothing or have access to collective protection.

Warning Signs of a Chemical Attack or Incident

• A chemical or biological attack or incident won’t always be immediately apparent given the fact that many agents are odorless and colorless and some cause no immediately noticeable effects or symptoms. Be alert to the possible presence of agents. Indicators of such an attack include:
• Droplets of oily film on surfaces
• Unusual dead or dying animals in the area
• Unusual liquid sprays or vapors
• Unexplained odors (smell of bitter almonds, peach kernels, newly mown hay or green grass)
• Unusual or unauthorized spraying in the area
• Victims displaying symptoms of nausea, difficulty breathing, convulsions, disorientation, or patterns of illness inconsistent with natural disease
• Low-lying clouds or fog unrelated to weather; clouds of dust; or suspended, possibly colored, particles
• People dressed unusually (long-sleeved shirts or overcoats in summertime) or wearing breathing protection particularly in areas where large numbers of people tend to congregate, such as subways or stadiums

What to Do In Case of Attack

Protecting breathing airways is the single most important thing a person can do during a chemical or biological incident or attack. In most cases, absent a handy gas mask, the only sure way to protect an airway is to put distance between you and the source of the agent. While evacuating the area, cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief, coat sleeve or any piece of cloth to provide some moderate means of protection. Other basic steps one can take to avoid or mitigate exposure to chemical or biological agents include:

• Stay alert for attack warning signs. Early detection enhances survival.
• Move upwind from the source of the attack.
• If evacuation from the immediate area is impossible, move indoors (if outside) and upward to an interior room on a higher floor. Remember many agents are heavier than air and will tend to stay close to the ground.
• Once indoors, close all windows and exterior doors and shut down air conditioning or heating systems to prevent circulation of air.
• Cover your mouth and nose. If gas masks are not available, use a surgical mask or a handkerchief. An improvised mask can be made by soaking a clean cloth in 1 tablespoon of baking soda in a cup of water. While this is not highly effective, it may provide some protection.
• Cover bare arms and legs and make sure any cuts or abrasions are covered or bandaged.
• If splashed with an agent, immediately wash it off using copious amounts of warm soapy water or a diluted 10:1 bleach solution […]
• If circumstances dictate, plan and prepare a chemical/biological safe-haven in your residence
• At the office, familiarize yourself in advance with established emergency procedures and equipment at your post. See your regional or post security officer for details.
• If in a car, shut off outside air intake vents and roll up windows if no gas has entered the vehicle. Late model cars may provide some protection from toxic agents.
• In any case of suspected exposure to chemical or biological agents, no matter what the origin, medical assistance should be sought as soon as possible, even if no symptoms are immediately evident.

Preparing a Safe-room

In some remote but possible scenarios, an entire city or neighborhood could become endangered by lethal gas. If conditions at your post make this a possibility, you may want to plan and prepare a sealed chemical/biological safe-haven at your residence as follows: 
Choosing a Safe-room

• Select an inner room on an upstairs floor with the least number of windows and doors.
• Choose a large room with access to a bathroom and preferably with a telephone.
• Avoid choosing rooms with window or wall air conditioners; they are more difficult to seal.
• Shut down all window and central air and heating units.[2]

Evacuate? Move from where the attack is being conducted? Wesy Virginians have been provided little to none of the above directions and no aid to adhere to them.

Dr. Riki Ott’s words are as true today for West Virgnians as they were for people poisoned in the Gulf poisoning catastrophe:  “The longer it’s in your body, the more damage it’s going to cause.” 

The scope of this environmental terror unfolding in West Virginia is unfathomable. 

How many of the applicable adviseries above or in the How to Survive- Biological or Chemical Attack video below have been provided to West Virginians during this “threat that is not immediately clear,” as stated in the video?

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