Dylan and Jo Murphy
Progressive Gazette
March 5, 2014
 |
| source |
''Shortly after operations began, we started to experience extreme headaches, runny noses, sore/scratchy throats, muscle aches and a constant feeling of fatigue. Both of our children are experiencing nose bleeds and I’ve had dizziness, vomiting and vertigo to the point that I couldn’t stand and was taken to an emergency room. Our daughter has commented that she feels as though she has cement in her bones.''
Pam
Judy 20 July 2011
- Carmichaels Pennsylvania resident
In
2006 Pam Judy and her family had a new home built on their farm. For
three years Pam and her family enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of
the countryside. However, in 2009 that all changed when a gas
compressor station was built 780 feet from her home. Within a short
space of time Pam and her family were unable to spend time outside
any more as they came down with all sorts of mysterious health
problems.
In
November 2010 Pam's son went outside and came home with blisters in
his mouth and had extreme difficulty swallowing which led to a visit
to the nearby hospital.
This
led Pam to conduct research into emissions from compressor stations.
She then contacted Calvin Tillman Mayor of Dish in Texas where many
people had experienced similar health problems. Mayor Tillman
provided Pam with a list of blood and urine tests to determine levels
of chemical exposure. The results of the tests revealed measurable
levels of benzene and phenol in her blood.
Pam
was determined to force the authorities to take action that would
protect her family. In June 2010 she persuaded the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection to carry out air quality tests
over four days on her land. The results revealed the presence of 16
chemicals, including benzene, which are all known carcinogens.
In November 2010 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection released a final report into air pollution in the area where Pam Judy and her family live. The report stated that the Department ''could find no emission levels that would constitute a concern to the health of residents living near Marcellus operations ...''
Sadly,
the experience of Pam's family is becoming all too familiar to
ordinary people all over America who are being poisoned by the toxic
chemicals being released by the fracking industry.
The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a damning report
in February 2013
which admitted that there is no systematic air quality monitoring of
the emissions from the fracking industry which emits,''large amounts
of harmful
pollutants
that impact air quality on local, regional, and global levels.''
The
report further noted how the EPA underestimates chemical pollution
from oil and gas wells and did not have a, ''comprehensive strategy
for improving air emissions data for the oil and gas production
sector …''
Politicians
Fail to Protect The Public
At
a state level the same failure to protect the public is in evidence.
In some states there is open collusion between the oil and gas
industry and elected officials. The situation in Texas shows how the
interests of big business come first while no action is taken to
protect local people who are being poisoned.
Inside
Climate News has produced a series of excellent reports that chart
the collusion of corrupt Texas officials who worked
hand in glove with
the fracking industry to prevent regulation of toxic air emissions.
In 2011 the Texas legislature approved SB1134,
a bill that prevented new environmental regulations from being
applied in the Eagle Ford region of South Texas.
Inside
Climate News reports
that,''Since
then, more than 2,400 air emissions permits have been issued in the
Eagle Ford without additional safeguards that would have reduced the
amounts of benzene, hydrogen sulphide, formaldehyde and other toxic
chemicals that drift into the air breathed by 1.1 million people.''
This
should be no surprise considering how large sections of the political
establishment of Texas has been bought off by the big bucks of the
fracking industry. State Representative Tom
Craddick,
who steered the bill that prevented new regulations from being
applied in the Eagle Ford shale region, has shares in five oil
companies that are active in the Eagle Ford area and has received
$800,000 from industry employees and related political action
committees.
To
compound matters Craddick's daughter Christi has received $600,000
from the fracking industry to win a seat on the Texas Rail road
Commission. The Rail road Commission issues permits for drilling.
The
corruption of the Texas political establishment goes much further.
According to a Centre for Public Integrity review of financial
disclosure records 42
members
of the Texas legislature or their spouses own stock or receive
royalties from oil and gas companies active in the Eagle Ford area.
Governor Rick Perry who approved SB1134 has revived $11.5 million in
campaign contributions since 2000. The attorney General of Texas Greg
Abbott has received over $4 million in contributions and has sued the
EPA eighteen times for interfering in Texas affairs!
Not
all members of the Texas legislature are cheerleaders for the oil and
gas industry. Representative Lon Burnham openly admits
that the Texas legislature is "a
wholly owned subsidiary of the oil and gas industry."
Environmental
group Earthworks
carried out an investigation
into air pollution in the Eagle Ford area. The report noted how Texas
regulators discovered pollution so dangerous they evacuated
themselves from the area. Meanwhile, the regulators took no action to
warn or protect residents about the dangerous level of air
pollutants.
A
growing number of residents are suffering adverse health effects from
the poisonous air they are breathing in. These include difficulty
breathing, severe headaches, eye burning and skin rashes.
Lynn
Buehring
developed migraine headaches so intense they have induced temporary
blindness. Meanwhile one resident reported
an odor
"so bad that their lungs feel as if they will burst."
The
Earthworks report does not pull any punches. It concluded that
negligent regulators and wild west fracking operators are responsible
for the slow poisoning of the people of Karnes County Texas.
Evidence
from state regulators and Earthworks/ShaleTest investigations
indicate
that
''air pollution from oil and gas development in the Eagle Ford Shale
definitely threatens, and likely harms, the health of Karnes County
Texas residents,
including
the Cerny family. Despite these findings, no action has been taken by
regulators to rein in irresponsible operations, or otherwise protect
area residents.''
If
fracking posed no danger to the public and was perfectly safe why is
the CEO of Exxon Mobile Rex Tillerson joing a lawsuit
to prevent a fracking project near his Texas home? Tillerson's
company is the biggest natural gas producer in America and fights
regulatory oversight at every turn. His name is on the lawsuit that
objects to a 160 foot water tower near his luxury home.
The
owners of the water tower would sell water to oil and gas explorers
''leading
to traffic with heavy trucks on FM 407, creating a noise nusiance and
traffic hazards'' and an ''unsafe... nuisance to children of the
area.''
According
to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs argue that the water tower would,
''devalue
their [muilti-million dollar] properties and adversely impact the
rural lifestyle they sought to enjoy.'' It will be interesting to see
what success this group of multi-millionaires has against the
fracking industry.
Air
Pollution in California
All
over America independent environmental groups are doing the job of
the regulators and finding that fracking causes air pollution that
poses a threat to human and animal health.
In
September of 2013 the Center For Biological Diversity in California
released
a report
that detailed its investigation into air pollution caused by the
fracking industry in the LA basin. It found that oil companies had
used 12 'air toxic' chemicals on over 300 occasions. Air toxic
chemicals are considered as extremely dangerous as they can cause
cancer, harm the heart and damage the lungs and eyes.
Among
the dirty dozen is Crystalline Silica a known carcinogen which has
been used 117 times and is harmful to skin, eyes and other sensory
organs, respiratory system, immune system and kidneys.
Another
toxic chemical that has been used at least 85 times is Methanol that
can damage the brain, liver and immune system.
Hydrochloric
acid is a very dangerous chemical that has been used 43 times and
causes severe burns upon contact with the skin while also posing a
threat to eyes, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system and
liver, immune system and the cardiovascular system.
There
has been a cluster
of health problems
reported by residents living near the Inglewood oil field due to air
borne exposures to these toxic chemicals.
A
major problem facing the public is that the oil and gas companies are
protected by regulators who allow the companies to keep the identity
of certain chemicals hidden on the grounds of ''trade
secrets''.
Oil and gas companies report certain chemicals as “lubricant,”
“surfactant,” or simply “mixture.” In other words, the
regulators who are supposed to be protecting the public, don't have a
clue as to what toxic poison is being used and churned out into the
air.
“Every
Californian deserves to know that oil companies are pumping dangerous
chemicals into our air, but disclosure alone won’t protect our
hearts and lungs,” said the Center’s
Hollin Kretzmann.
“The best way to shield ourselves from this pollution is to halt
fracking, acidization and other extreme oil recovery techniques. We
need Gov. Brown and state lawmakers to put public health ahead of
petroleum industry profits and shut these dirty operations down.”
On
28 February Los
Angeles city council
voted to support a moratorium on fracking and other dangerous
drilling. The motion puts a moratorium on fracking until the city
decides that it does not pose a danger to the safety of residents or
their drinking water.
This
is a big victory for the people of Los Angeles who have faced oil and
gas regulators dragging their feet on enforcing exisitng
environmental rules. More than 200,000 petitions have been signed by
Californians urging Governor Brown to ban fracking throughout the
state. Californians
Against Fracking
have organised a state wide demonstration for 15 March in Sacremento
to push Governor Brown and his administration into taking this
action.
Air
Pollution A Toxic Time Bomb
The
fracking industry is releasing a toxic time bomb into the air whose
full impact may not be felt for many years to come. The indefatigable
Theo Colborn, President
of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) and Professor Emeritus of
Zoology at the University of Florida,
has pointed out that there are no government safety standards for
many of these chemicals. Where there is a safety level for some
chemicals it is based upon a male worker doing an eight hour shift
five days a week. It does not take into account low level exposure
for residents exposed 24 hours a day seven days a week.
In
a speech
given in 2013 to a conference organised by Citizens For a Healthy
Community Professor Colborn identified five sources of airborne
chemicals that people can be expected to be exposed to if they happen
to live near a fracking well.
Firstly,
there is the raw natural gas that comes to the surface during
drilling. The gas released by drilling has the following composition:
78.7% methane, volatile organic compounds (VOC's) 17.9% and Carbon
Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxide 3.3%.
Methane
is a well known greenhouse gas that is toxic to humans. Professor
Colborn is particularly worried by the VOC's which are extremely
toxic and have been given little attention by public health agencies.
These fugitive volatile organic compounds can cause irreversible
damage to the brain and central nervous system if a person is subject
to prolonged exposure over time.
Secondly,
there is the air pollution caused by exhaust from trucks, compressors
and other equipment related to fracking. These produce nitrogen oxide
and particulate matter that have the secondary effect of producing
ozone which can damage lung tissue. The health effects of exhaust
fumes include premature birth, low birth weight, early onset lung
disease, cardiac ischemia, myocardial infarction and endocrine
disruption.
Thirdly,
there are the hundreds of chemicals used during the fracking process
itself. The injection of these chemicals into the ground is a well
known cause
of water pollution
across areas affected by fracking.
Fourthly,
there are the chemicals released during the cleaning and maintenance
of the drilling pad and equipment. Professor Theo Colborn has
highlighted Methylene Chloride used to clean fracking equipment which
is extremely toxic and has 12 adverse effects upon human health.
Last
but by no means least there is air
borne pollution
caused by the waste water that is put into evaporation pits. The
objective is to evaporate as much waste fluid before it is hauled off
for processing. However, the evaporation process leads to the release
of poisonous chemicals into the air. Professor Theo Colborn notes
that there is ''very
little information''
about the air borne pollution coming from thousands of evaporation
pits which can also contaminate water supplies.
Failure
To Regulate
The
fracking industry in America has been subjected to light or no touch
regulation. Oil and gas industry lobbyists have successfully fended
off effective regulation of their industry and won
exemptions from
most environmental regulations: Clean
Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act [RCRA], Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability Act [CERCLA], Emergency Planning
Community Right to Know Act, and National Environmental Policy Act.
Meanwhile,
Congress has agreed not to apply the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act to fracking fluids which contain
hundreds of poisonous chemicals. Oil and gas companies keep from the
public which chemicals are used claiming they are ''trade secrets.''
By its own admission the EPA has been ineffective in protecting the
public from this rapacious industry which has plans for massive
expansion all over America and the rest of the planet.
Earthworks
calls the fracking industry a ''reckless
endangerment''
of the public's health. As government fails, the public's health
suffers while oil and gas companies rake in massive profits. Never
mind the permanent damage to the plant and animal kingdom by the
poisoning of the environment.
One
thing is clear from a modicum of research into the air borne
pollution caused by the fracking industry. We cannot rely upon
corporate politicians to protect the air that we breathe.
The
clock is ticking. The question you have to ask yourself is: what am I
going to do about it?
