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Philadelphia officials are closely monitor drinking water after a chemical spill in the Delaware River

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The City of Philadelphia is monitoring its drinking water system carefully following a chemical spill upstream in the Delaware River, and said the water would be safe to drink until at least the end of the day Monday.

Three different chemicals leaked into the river when a latex product spilled on Friday, but none have so far been detected in Philadelphia’s water system, city officials say.

The city earlier sent out mobile phone push alerts recommending area residents use of bottled water from 2 p.m. on Sunday due to the spill, but officials told a news conference late Sunday afternoon they were confident tap water from the Baxter Drinking Water Treatment Plant would remain safe to drink until at least 11:59 p.m. Monday.

They said butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate had spilled into the Delaware River.

“Butyl acrylate, in particular, is a chemical that was identified in the spill in East Palestine. So we understand there are some known health effects and their established thresholds in terms of the parts per billion that the EPA feels are safe,” Michael Carroll, Philadelphia’s deputy managing director for transportation, infrastructure and sustainability told reporters. He said the water would continue to be monitored.

“Again, I want to reiterate, we have not detected any of these contaminants in our water and will continue to use that as our first basis for any decision-making that we make,” Carroll said.

“We have enough water to sustain a safe use for drinking, cooking – all purposes – through till at least 11:59 p.m., Monday, March 27,” he said. “The potential for contamination is diminishing over time.”

The city said in a statement its advice on the tap water’s safety had been updated “based on the time it will take river water that entered the Baxter intakes early Sunday morning to move through treatment and water mains before reaching customers.

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