Cancer Chemicals Found Near Yellowstone River After Oil Spill

Following an oil pipeline leak and subsequent spillage of over 50,000 gallons of oil into the monumental Yellowstone River, cancer-causing chemicals have now been detected even within nearby water treatment plants which usher mass amounts of water meant for drinking.

In what has led to a rush on bottled water by those living nearby (who were assured that ‘nothing was wrong’ and that nothing bad would happen to the river itself), elevated levels of carcinogenic organic chemical compound benzene were discovered in an Eastern Montana water treatment plant that is responsible for serving over 6,000 individuals with fresh drinking water.
And that’s miles down the road within the treatment plant, which is supposed to have numerous filtration systems in place.

In other words, the Yellowstone River is currently leaking carcinogenic chemicals throughout the Yellowstone area — and we’re not getting the full picture from many of these reports. And better yet, leave it to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to downplay the issue of cancer-causing chemicals in a new statement that the benzene levels detected were ‘not recommended for long-term consumption’ but did not pose a ‘short-term health hazard.’

Residents, however, were told to avoid all tap water for drinking or cooking.

Meanwhile, reports of oil contamination have been reported by individuals in counties quite far from the Yellowstone River. According to the Billing Gazette:

“By Tuesday, oil sheens were reported as far away as Williston, North Dakota, below the Yellowstone’s confluence with the Missouri River, officials said… Several residents interviewed by The Associated Press said they first heard about the water problems through friends and social media sites, not the official advisory.”

While you may be more concerned with the list of other cancer-causing chemicals already found in your tap water, this incident reminds us of the numerous events in which ‘officials’ continue to assure the public that everything is ‘perfectly fine’ despite the reality that an issue is indeed at hand. While the elevated levels of benzene may not be a major health threat right now, this incident reminds us that it is always essential to be prepared with your own supplies of clean water, food, and health-saving medical supplies (from natural powerhouses like colloidal silver and oregano oil to your standard medical kit).