CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation seek answers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Second District Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin sent a joint letter to the CDC on Thursday asking it to further explain whether pregnant women should drink water in the Kanawha Valley following the contamination crisis that impacted thousands of residents in nine counties.
Capito and Manchin requested CDC Director Thomas Frieden answer their questions by Tuesday, Jan. 21. They claim the CDC has released confusing information about the acceptable levels of crude MCHM that leaked into part of the state’s water supply last week.
MORE: Read the full letter from Capito and Manchin.
“We are deeply disappointed in the CDC for recommending a screening level before receiving all relevant studies and information, which has resulted in confusion, fear and mistrust among Kanawha Valley residents,” the letter reads.
The CDC issued an advisory Wednesday recommending pregnant women in the nine-county region continue to drink bottled water until the levels of crude MCHM have left the water system.