. >> reporter: when mathilde murray turns on the water in her home, this is how it looks. she lives here with her husband and five children. everyone from the water company, to state health officials are telling her and hundreds of thousands of others here that the water is safe. >> looks pretty nasty. i won't let my kid drink it. >> reporter: in the charleston area, the water supply was contaminated on january 9. since then water company tests have determined that there are acceptable levels of the chemical in the water. but no one really knows yet how harmful the substance used to clean coal is to humans. and that raised questions about how the state of west virginia regulates heavy industry. senator joe manchin is cosponsoring legislation to help strengthen oversight. >> are industry's needs addressed more in west virginia state legislature than the needs of individuals in the state without right now don't trust the water they're drinking. >> there is always more we can do. you know, all of us. you can do more. and it's a shame that sometimes it takes a disaster such as