Spill

The main point the author is making is that the water is under the legal limit. It does not
state that the water safe nearly under the limit. There has still been incidents where people have
gone to the hospital or have at least had a complaint about a headache and rashes. For example, a
licorice like smell is present in water that is contaminated. It has come to the point that the
majority of people do not use tap water anymore.
There has been data gathered that shows the range of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, in
water being from 0.5 -1.6 ppb, which is below the 1 ppm level. A strength of his argument is that
his detection limit is actually quite low. If that detection limit can be backed up by the PQL then
his number are significant. Some of his weaknesses include, not mentioning the method he used
for sampling or the PQL. Another major flaw is that he uses the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention as his source. While the CDC is a reputable organization the maximum contaminate
levels (MCL) should be set by the environmental protection agency (EPA). Also, since it is a
problem at the tap level in a customers residence, then samples should have been taken from the
tap. The author does not state when the limit value has been updated. We can be talking about a
value since it has not been update since the early 1900s and by todays standards, that limit can
be considered toxic.
In my opinion the author has not presented sufficient or reliable evidence to back his
claim. The EPAs values should have been reported and used as the numbers to compare to.
Also, while he never said that the water was safe to drink he was correct by saying that it is in
compliance with the CDC. As that numbers did fall below their value.