Philadelphia officials recommend that residents use bottled drinking water following a chemical spill in the Delaware River that could affect the water supply.
The city of Philadelphia sent out a phone alert to local residents Sunday afternoon, saying authorities recommend using bottled water starting at 2 p.m. local time Sunday «until further notice.»
«No contaminants have been found in the system at this time, but this is out of an abundance of caution due to a spill in the Delaware River,» he said.
Michael Carroll, deputy managing director of the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability, said Sunday that while no contaminants had yet been found, there was no guarantee that the water would remain pure «throughout the afternoon,» hence the alert. . according to NBC Philadelphia.
Authorities believe bathing and showering in the water is safe, Carroll said Sunday, according to NBC Philadelphia.
If people have already drunk tap water, they should not worry, Carroll added: «I want to reiterate that the health risks are very low, if any. There are no acute effects associated with low-level exposure. Our best information is that people who ingest the water will not experience any short-term symptoms or acute medical conditions. We do not foresee any reason to seek medical attention related to this event.»
The alert comes after a pipeline burst at Trinseo, a chemical plant in Bucks County, causing a chemical spill Friday night that spewed about 8,100 gallons of «water-soluble acrylic polymer solution,» a latex finishing material, in Otter Creek, a tributary of the Delaware River, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Drinking Water Supplier Aqua Pennsylvania said in a statement that the company «immediately closed the entrance to our Bristol water system as soon as we learned of the chemical spill, preventing customer exposure to hazardous materials.»
«As a result of your swift action, we are not seeing any of the chemicals from the spill in our drinking water,» the statement continued.
The company said it is working with state and federal agencies to monitor the situation and will reopen the hydrant only when it «meets our strict quality standards.»