I live in Charleston, WV. On 1/9/2014 we were told not to use our tap water for anything other than flushing the toilet after a storage facility leaked over 7,400 gallons of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol into the Elk river, less than two miles up-river from the water company's main in-take.
The CDC said that concentrations under 1ppm were safe. After a week of bathing in my sink and drinking bottled water, my area was determined to be safe, however my water still has a strong odor.
There is not much information about this chemical's health effects. While the chemical itself is low-toxicity, I wonder if it might react with items in the water supply to create other compounds which may be more toxic.
Specifically, would this chemical react with chlorine in the water, or cast iron, PVC, and copper in the pipes? Does anyone have any experience with this compound?