On Jan. 9, 300,000 residents of the Charleston, West Virginia metro area awoke to news that their drinking water had been contaminated when 10,000 gallons of toxic 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) spilled from the storage tanks of Freedom Industries into the Elk River. The toxicity of MCHM, an additive that helps remove impurities from coal, has not been well studied but is known to cause dizziness, vomiting, and rashes, among other things.