Residents warned not to drink well water after officials find trichloroethylene

Lake Township, Ohio, June 14, 2001—Owners of wells in Lake Township to North Canton are being cautioned not to drink their well water after health officials found high concentrations of trichloroethylene (TCE).

The warning, which only affects people with private wells, was issued about 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to NewsChannel5 in Cleveland. The chemical may have been dumped into nearby streams, which then caused it to spread into the wells.

TCE is a man-made chemical used to remove grease from metal parts. It's colorless and has an odor similar to ether or chloroform.

Symptoms from being poisoned include dizziness, headache, slowed reaction time, sleepiness and facial numbness.