North Carolina Coash Ash Pit Spill
Credit: NYTijmes

DUKEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA — Deborah Graham’s life changed on April 18, 2015, with the arrival of a letter.

Graham was in the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee. Her husband, Marcelle, opened a large certified envelope just dropped off by the mail carrier.

“The North Carolina Division of Public Health recommends that your well water not be used for drinking and cooking,” the letter said.

“What did you just say?” Graham asked, incredulous.

“The water’s contaminated,” her husband replied.

Graham’s eyes flew to her kitchen faucet. She thought about the coffee she’d just swallowed. The food she’d cooked and sent over to her church. The two children she’d raised in this house.

She dumped the rest of her coffee down the sink.

The ordinary routines of the Graham household had been disrupted by vanadium, which can cause nausea, diarrhea and cramps. In animal studies, vanadium has caused decreased red blood cell counts, elevated blood pressure and neurological effects.

While the element is found in Earth’s crust, it’s also one of several […]