Toxic Chemical Spill Ignites Water Safety Fears for 14 Million People

By Julia Conley 

Residents of Philadelphia and the surrounding area demanded clarity about the safety of their drinking water from city officials on Monday, three days after chemicals leaked from a plant into a tributary of the Delaware River, which provides water for about 14 million people in four states.

About 8,100 gallons of acrylic polymer solution leaked from a burst pipe at the chemical plant Trinseo PLC in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on March 24, entering Otter Creek, which flows into the Delaware River.

The solution contained butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate, which are used in paints and adhesives.