Compressor Stations In Our Backyards?

A leader in the fight against the anti-health, anti-environment, anti-people, greed-filled gas industry speaks at a DEP Public Meeting at Elk Lake School in Susquehanna County.  She and others testified about our concerns. Four more Gas Compressors are coming to Susquehanna County in the north along the Laser Gathering Line. Tons of emissions are allowed for each and constant noise emissions. Taped 4-26-12.

We cannot allow Big Gas to pollute our residential areas.  Gas drilling is unhealthy for children and other living things.

Thank you, Vera, for your work to save Pennsylvania and all areas being destroyed by Big Gas.

Natural Gas: The Rest of the Story (Dr. Theo Colborn)

Water trucks idling in Asylum Township, Bradford County, PA

Natural Gas: The Rest of the Story from Hutman Media on Vimeo.

Theo Colborn of the Endocrine Exchange (Colorado-based) speaks to the issue of air pollution and gas drilling. This is the often overlooked aspect of the drilling industry, but one which causes illness and death just the same. Dr. Colborn emphasizes that fracking has become the big worry, but it only part of the story.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) In Dryer Sheets

Baby, watch out!

This blog is usually all about un-natural gas drilling and the chemical hazards related to it.  Today news comes across my desk that in our own homes scented laundry products, for example, dryer sheets, have been found to contain hazardous chemicals.  Read more......

South Caddo (LA) Evacuees Return Home

Residents of South Caddo Stop By the Firehouse To Pick Up Water

Photo by Greg Pearson/The Times

The residents of South Caddo, evacuated this week due to hazardous gasses in their homes from gas drilling-related causes,  were allowed to return to their homes yesterday.  But first they went to the Shreveport Fire Station No. 22 to pick up water.  The water was not provided by the offending gas company, Exco Resources, Inc.  The water was provided at taxpayers' expense by the fire department.  A team of 23 people escorted the residents back to their homes and went in first in groups of three to test and make sure it was safe. 

Some residents could not return to their homes yet.  They live too close to the drilling site (within a half mile).  It will be at least Monday before they can return.  The well must be sealed first.

The most dangerous situation, other than the risk of explosion, was the presence of VOCs- volatile organic compounds.  These VOCs pose a health risk to liver and kidney function.

One hundred thirty-five families were affected.

A resident whose water was contaminated during this incident commented to the newspaper:

Well, I am still here with no water.. the company responsible for this still has not contacted any of the people left in their homes for now 5 days with no water...I think our first responders have done what they know to do.. it is the company that should have sent water to our homes. That is the least they could have done.. well, today most of the residents are coming home.. now they can see what it is like to be at home with no water..I am not sure how they can say it is safe when they don't know for sure..Gas stays at the bottom until it is bubbles to top.. I think I am going to need some counseling after this..I am afraid to even wash clothes,flush the toilet, or even wash the dishes.

Read the entire article from The Shreveport Times.

Are You Living in a Toxic Waste Dump?

TOXIC CHEMICALS RELEASED DURING OIL & GAS OPERATIONS

Arsenic
Chronic arsenic exposure can cause damage to blood vessels, a sensation of "pins and needles" in hands and feet, darkening and thickening of the skin, and skin redness. It is a known human carcinogen, and can cause cancer of skin, lungs, bladder, liver, kidney and prostate.

Hydrogen Sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide has been linked to irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, difficulty in breathing, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Low-level exposure might also lead to poor attention span, poor memory, and impaired motor function. Short-term exposure at high concentrations can lead to loss of consciousness and death.

Mercury
Mercury can permanently damage the brain, kidneys, and developing fetus and may result in tremors, changes in vision or hearing, and memory problems. Even in low doses, mercury may affect an infant's development, delaying walking and talking, shortening attention span and causing learning disabilities.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Several of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that can be found in crude oil have caused tumors in laboratory animals and are considered possible or probable human carcinogens. Studies of people have found that individuals exposed for long periods to mixtures that contain PAHs can also develop cancer. In addition, animal tests have found reproductive problems and birth defects.

Volatile Organic Compounds

Acetone
Acetone can cause nose, throat, lung, and eye irritation; headaches; light-headedness; and confusion. In animals it has been linked to kidney, liver, and nerve damage, and increased birth defects.

Benzene
Benzene is a known human carcinogen and causes leukemia.

Ethylbenzene
Ethylbenzene can cause dizziness, throat and eye irritation, respiratory problems, fatigue and headaches. It has been linked to tumors and birth defects in animals, as well as to damage in the nervous system, livers and kidneys.

Toluene
Toluene can cause fatigue, confusion, weakness, memory loss, nausea, hearing loss, central nervous system damage, and may cause kidney damage. It is also known to cause birth defects and reproductive harm.

Xylene
Xylenecan cause headaches, dizziness, confusion, balance changes, irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat, breathing difficulty, memory difficulties, stomach discomfort, and possibly changes in the liver and kidneys.

Radioactive Substances

Radium
Radium is a known human carcinogen, causing bone, liver, and breast cancer.

Radon
Radon can cause an increased incidence of lung diseases such as emphysema, as well as lung cancer.

Why don’t we hear even more stories about illnesses related to oil and gas operations?
Oil and gas companies may claim there is a lack of data proving that industry pollution is a cause of illness. While more research needs to be conducted, important information is available. There are now more wells than ever before, and more of them near where people live. Chemical poisoning is notorious for resulting in nonspecific signs or symptoms that resemble other common diseases, immediate symptoms might be nonexistent or mild despite the risk of long-term severe health effects, and physicians may not recognize the connection between illness and the oil and gas operations.

In a 2004 program sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two medical toxicologists from the National Center for Environmental Health discussed the challenges of recognizing illness stemming from chemical exposure, including:
• Chemicals do not always cause acute and obvious health effects. Immediate symptoms of chemical exposures might be nonexistent or mild despite the risk for long-term effects. Because of this lag time, it may be difficult for us to recognize the exposure source leading to the illness.
• Another obstacle that could lead to difficulty in recognition might be exposure to multiple chemical agents.
• Chemical poisoning is notorious for resulting in nonspecific signs or symptoms that resemble other common diseases.

Physicians might be less familiar with recognition and treatment of illness related to chemical agents simply because illness from most chemicals is just not that common or at least not recognized as often as it occurs. In addition, some individuals choose not to share their stories, especially in communities with local economies dependent on the oil and gas industry. Others move away, sometimes with their homes purchased by energy companies and with signed agreements that prohibit them from telling their stories. And still others have given up on trying to call attention to this matter. One man recently stated at a public meeting, “…if few people are complaining about drilling these days, it's because they've given up after being ignored for so long.”

The above information was presented in October 2007 by Amy Mall of the NRDC. She spoke before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Henry Waxman. You can read Ms. Mall's remarks in their entirety here.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!