Multiple West Virginia schools closed after sending hundreds of poisoned students home, some vomiting and dizzy, and at least one child to the hospital this week, but officials lifted the pregnant women water warning. After nearly a month of at least 300,000 West Virginians’ daily exposure to dangerous chemicals, media continues reporting a ”smell” is making people sick, instead of the reality that a poison is injuring and sickening people.

A mystery coal industry poison, a toxic brew including but not limited to MCHM and PHh, that smells like licorice, poisoned so many children and youth  in Kanawha County, five schools closed this week.

Poisoning of thousands of people persists in southern West Virginia’s through air and water. Government officials, bought by the fossil fuel industry, have said the nine affected counties were all clear to drink and use tap water for other purposes. People continue experiencing chemical burns upon contact with the water.

Wednesday, students and teachers at schools showed signs of poisoning, feeling light-headed, having itchy eyes and noses, and stomach complaints from the poison. 

One teacher fainted. One student went to the hospital.

Schools closed Wednesday morning and didn't reopen Thursday. 

Due to the poison environment, children and teachers were sick Thursday at Watts, J.E. Robins, and Overbrook elementary schools dismissed classes. 

Nevertheless, federal health officials advised Thursday that pregnant women could drink the water, backtracking on a previous advisory. 

Playing Russian Roulette: Flushing, Testing with Unwitting Children

Follow-up tests at Riverside and Midland Trail did not detect the one chemical that government is testing for in their running water. Several rounds of earlier tests also didn’t detect the chemical at the two schools.

Using a type of Russian Roulette on students and their teachers, more water pipe flushing and testing were conducted this week so the five schools could reopen.

Schools reopened Friday and officials said they’d see how their latest flushing worked according to how many people showed signs of being poisoned again. 

Meanwhile, poisons have been bioaccumulating in each body for a month as individuals inhale a poison and come in contact with it. Officials reported the leak on Jan. 9, but residents could smell the leaking poison weeks before then.

Since government officials admittedly do not know what they are testing for, it’s tests and declarations that the water is safe are unacceptable.

It is unacceptable that officials are not addressing poisoned air being breathed and bioaccumulating.

It is obvious to independent scientists that there are extra chemicals in the toxic stew that has tainted the 9-county area’s drinking water and air. Government, however, continues to test for evidence of the same chemical, MCHM, then claiming people are safe.

For almost a month, news reporters claim a “smell” has made people ill, refusing to use the word poison, or indicate people are being poisoned.

The only smells that make people ill are those that do so by association, a nauseating smell, such a vomit. The smell of licorice does not make tens of thousands of people sick in an area. By not calling the event poisoning, it seems less dangerous.