Breaking news: Scientists say cancer rates almost certain to rise from dangerous toxins found in the air near fracking sites. Calling it a significant public health risk the conclusions come from NY State University research team and published in a peer reviewed science journal. Oil and gas wells across the country are spewing “dangerous cancer-causing chemicals into the air, according to a new study that further corroborates reports of health problems around hydraulic fracturing sites. “This is a significant public health risk,” say Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany-State University of New York and lead author of the study, which was published Thursday in the journal Environmental Health. “Cancer has a long latency, so you’re not seeing an elevation in cancer in these communities. But five, 10, 15 years from now, elevation in cancer is almost certain to happen.” Eight poisonous chemicals were found near wells and fracking sites in Arkansas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wyoming at levels that far exceeded recommended federal limits. Benzene, a carcinogen, was the most common, as was formaldehyde, which also has been linked to cancer. Hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs and can affect the brain and upper-respiratory system, also was found. “I was amazed,” Carpenter says. “Five orders of magnitude over federal limits for benzene at one site – that’s just incredible. You could practically just light a match and have an explosion with that concentration. “It’s an indication of how leaky these systems are.” Its not limited to where the this study was done: The health effects of living near a fracking site have been felt elsewhere, according to separate research. A study published last month by researchers from the University of Washington and Yale University found residents within a kilometer of a well had up to twice the number of health problems as those living at least 2 kilometers away. Naturally, industry groups declined to comment Wednesday ahead of the study’s release. Spokesmen at each group referred questions to another industry organization, Energy In Depth, which dismissed the studys methods and conclusions as dubious. How does this relate to CA? We have major gaps in information which the BLM report this summer pointed to: An additional challenge is the lack of peer-reviewed literature analyzing emissions of toxic VOCs from oil and gas operations in California. p. 243 and It described steam Injection (ramping up here in Santa Barbara County unless we pass YES on Measure P) as linked to high air pollution emissions: California oil and gas production operations are generally energy intensive, due to steam-based thermal recovery operations and depleted oil fields with high water handling requirements. (pg 40) state inventories of methane emissions from oil and gas production activities may be underestimated by a factor of about 5 (pg 40) Given the results across the country, the data we do have so far about CA air, as well as the extensive data gaps, wed be wise to take a hard look at this.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 17:48:22 +0000
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