Philadelphia residents advised to drink bottled water after river chemical spill

Philadelphia citizens may want to drink and cook with bottled water after a chemical spill into the Delaware River, officials said Sunday.

The spill was first detected late Friday night in Bucks County, north of the city.

“Because we cannot be 100% sure that there won’t be traces of these chemicals in the tap water throughout the afternoon, we want the public to be aware so that people can consider switching to bottled water to further minimize any risk,” city official Michael Carrol said.

“Therefore, we are notifying the public in the customer service area that they may wish not to drink or cook with tap water.”

The Trinseo chemical plant in Bristol Township, Pa., spilled more than 8,000 gallons of latex-finishing solution into a Delaware River tributary on Friday night.

Philadelphia city workers began testing the river for toxins but “early indications have not revealed contamination,” said Carrol, the deputy managing director for the city’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability.

“I want to reiterate that the health risks are very low if present at all. No acute effects are associated with low level exposure,” he added. “Our best information is that people who ingest water will not suffer any near-term symptoms or acute medical conditions.”

According to Philadelphia officials, the potentially dangerous water didn’t reach the city until after 2 p.m.

Americans have been on edge about chemical spills since a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3 and released toxic chemicals into the air. Though thousands of animals died from the spill, no human deaths or serious medical issues have been reported nearly two months since the accident.