Investigating Questions About the West Virginia Chemical Spill Last week, the spill of an industrial chemical into a West Virginia river contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people, setting off renewed debate over regulating the chemical industry. Below, we offer some ideas for teaching about this industrial accident, either by focusing on West Virginia alone, or widening the lens to include other industrial spills, inquiries into the water supply or regulation in general. What's the story? Have students read about the chemical spill in the Elk River in West Virginia, and use the Learning Network handout The 5 W's and an H to summarize the story. Then, have students work in pairs to write a script for an evening news segment about the chemical spill, focusing on how the community has been affected, what questions the spill raises, and when the water will be safe to use again. Is regulation too lax in West Virginia? A Times article on West Virginia's regulation of the chemical industry begins: Students can read the article to discuss the role of federal and state regulation in protecting natural resources, taking into account the perspective of many who argue that is far too light. For instance, students might consider the viewpoint of Angela Rosser, who heads the West Virginia Coalition. In the article, she says "We can't just point a single finger at this company. What does she mean? What do critics say are some of problems with West Virginia's oversight of its chemical industry? Taking a broader perspective, students also might consider renewed criticism of how the federal government regulates toxic substances in general. Specifically, students could explore problems with the federal Toxic Substances Control Act, which even the American Chemistry Council, a trade group that represents the industry, believes needs to be strengthened. As they read, students might use the Problem-Solution handout to help organize the information they collect, then share their ideas for better ways to regulate the chemical industry. If they are so inclined, they might even write to their representatives in Congress to express their points of view on the Chemical Safety Improvement Act. What's in my water? West Virginia authorities announced this week that the water in some areas is safe to use again, but many residents don't believe it. Here is just one tweet from Jan. 15: What is the process by which water is deemed safe for drinking and bathing? According to this article, how did West Virginia test the water to deem it safe, and why do some scientists say the process is inadequate? To connect the West Virginia spill with their own lives, students might research to find out where the water they drink comes from and what risks, if any, their water supply faces. Those in communities of 100,000 or more residents can also search for water quality reports made available through the Environmental Protection Agency. Students might also scan some of the articles in the Times's series Toxic Waters, or more recent coverage of water quality to gain insight into the issue, the legislation that exists to protect the water supply it and how to improve that legislation. To wrap up, students could complete the Connecting the New York Times to Your World handout and share their answers with the class. What is 4-methylcyclohexane methanol? The chemical in last week's spill was 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, known as MCHM. The leak at the Elk River storage facility came from a ruptured tank holding this chemical, which is used to wash coal. According to this article, emergency rooms in West Virginia have treated about 169 patients for symptoms related to its exposure What can students learn about this chemical, how it washes coal, and how it might affect the human body? What questions do they still have about it that they might research? Why is so little known about this chemical? What have been the effects of this spill on the local community? To imagine what the 300,000 citizens of West Virginia have been experiencing, ask students to work in pairs to consider what would happen if their entire community was without potable water for five or more days. Have them list as many effects of a local water shortage as they can think of, then invite the class to share ideas and make a longer a common list. Then, scan Times articles about West Virginia during this emergency, noting the effects on the community that they can find. How many were on the class list? What do they predict will be the continuing effects of this emergency even after safe water is restored across the state? How does it compare to other chemical spills? After students have learned about the West Virginia spill, they might research some of the other major chemical spills to have affected parts of the United States, such as the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the 2008 coal ash spill in Tennessee and the recent spill of close to 900,000 gallons of oil over a farm in North Dakota. What similarities and differences can they find? Or, students could summarize the arguments for and against approval of the Keystone XL pipeline in the Room for Debate discussion Are Oil Pipelines Safer Now? using the Learning Network's Debatable Issues handout. Students also could research the groundwater quality concerns raised by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process that extracts natural gas from the earth. To explore this topic in more depth, check out the Learning Network lesson plan, Fuel For Debate: Examining The Natural Gas-Fracking Controversy. In addition, students might explore how the federal government responds to chemical spills and other disasters in coastal areas. 4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. Health 2 Knows environmental and external factors that affect individual and community health. 2 Understands Earth's composition and structure.