Alphabet Soup: What ABCA gave the EPA and the DRC about EDB and the TCEQ

by admin on August 21, 2011

On Thursday, August 20th, ABCAlliance members provided three investigators an executive summary, a timeline and additional documents to support documentation provided by TCEQ state investigators stating that 1,2 dibromoethane, also called EDB, a known carcinogen which ranks as the top carcinogenic substance on the Human Exposure/Rodent Potency Index, was present in at least six air samples found in Argyle and Bartonville. Four of those cases were at concentrations exceeding the state’s long-term threshold of .05 parts-per-billion:

On two occasions, TCEQ State Investigators told an Alliance member the source of the EDB found was not related to gas or oil, but is historical soil contamination. A written report was also provided. State Investigators did not provide evidence to support either of these assertions.

Five ABCAlliance members have not only provided baseline Summa samples of the air, but also soil and water samples to the EPA. Air samples taken in the spring of 2010 near Argyle Central and Gulftex found no instances of EDB. A water sample from White’s Branch, just upstream of Argyle Central, in March 2010 found no EDB. Three soil samples in March 2010 near Argyle Central also found no EDB. Additional soil samples in April 2010 near Gulftex found no EDB. (click to enlarge)

Historic contamination of EDB as documented on the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry shows no contamination in Texas. In addition, our preliminary review of contaminated sites elsewhere in the United States shows that where there is air contamination there is also significant soil and water contamination.

On December 10 2010, at a Bartonville Town Council Meeting, a representative of Gulftex admits to the town of previously using a biocide that is on the EPA e-docket list for being banned in commercial use. She also claimed she was a chemist. EDIT: You can listen to the audio from that town meeting here.

The ABCAlliance members are deeply troubled by the fact that EDB is present in quantities above the long-term appropriate comparison monitoring values set by TCEQ, yet the agency is refusing to investigate because they say it is historical soil contamination, but they refuse to provide evidence to support this.

The Alliance would like an immediate investigation done by the EPA to determine the source of the EDB and provide for its elimination. It seems like a reasonable request, but now TCEQ state investigators are denying that their scientific testing techniques were ever scientific and it is possible that the detected carcinogen was never detected at all. One mistake in testing we could understand, or maybe even two mistakes in detection. But this carcinogen was detected SIX TIMES.

SIX TIMES.

And to put the cherry on top, according the Denton Record Chronicle article, the EPA is saying they will support the TCEQs decision of unscientific detection, but will continue to monitor the area.

Wham bam thank you ma’am.

Do you see our frustrations here?

Gas related or not, all we are asking for is clean air, water and soil for our community. If your child was breathing a carcinogen wouldn’t you want and demand that source to be cleaned up? And yet, our state and federal investigators are failing us. Who do we turn to before more people in our community die of cancers or other diseases?

TXsharon August 21, 2011 at 10:34 am

It’s too late to start an investigation. The GulfTex representative said they were looking for a replacement biocide in her taped confession (btw, you should post the audio because the transcript is not readable). By now they have surely found a replacement chemical. The exposure has already happened.

Shut the gate! The cow just got out!

que the Keystone Cops.

Runner Susan August 21, 2011 at 10:39 am

It is time for more members of our community to speak up if they feel the gas industry invasion of our community is effecting the health of their family.

Together we bargain, divided we beg.

James Wall August 21, 2011 at 12:40 pm

Our family moved to Flower Mound Texas 20 years ago. We moved to a quiet attractive neighborhood and soon other really nice neighborhoods popped up around us with houses ranging from $200,000 and up. Unknown to us were gas wells being drilled in the rural areas of our town. Two years age the well began creeping closer to our neighborhoods. We now have 65 wells in our Town. Some near homes, schools and, churches. Kids are coming in from school recess with bloody noses, asthma, leukemia, young woman breast cancer are now elevated in the community. The wells continue to swarm into town like a plague of locust. We have repeated spills of fracking fluids, leaky valves and high levels of air pollution. Our State agencies are not effective in controlling the pollution. Someone has to regulate this out of control industry.

Zoe Nance August 21, 2011 at 3:49 pm

Please remember Perry is not the guy.

As he has publicly spoken about ‘a moratorium for regulation’.

As if Texas regulation isn’t lax enough.

Great Job Alliance and Lowell Brown for reporting!

It ain’t over til it’s over!

Peggy August 22, 2011 at 1:20 am

TCEQ has collected more than 50 Summa samples in our community. Six of them, or 12 percent, found EDB. That is far higher than the percentage they said they found overall in the shale (2 percent).

Steve Southwell August 23, 2011 at 8:52 am

Well, isn’t that interesting?
I noted that there was 3 times the LTESL in 1,2 Dibromoethane in one of the Flower Mound TCEQ tests, but TCEQ staff blew it off as something they wouldn’t expect to find.
http://www.whosplayin.com/xoops/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1890&keywords=dibromoethane

“We also look to see if we would expect the chemical to be emitted from whatever we are monitoring. In the case of 1,2-dibromoethane, the information we have found indicates that this compound is not due to natural gas emissions. “

If dibromoethane or some other toxic substance were present at such excessive levels as the result of a pesticide spill, or an agricultural application, or improper storage, or even a criminal act of sabotage or terrorism, would it be any less dangerous or worthy of investigation?

Peggy August 24, 2011 at 12:46 am

What Steve said.

FrackingCrazy August 24, 2011 at 8:09 am

Surprised are we…

We shouldn’t be at all.

They’re still trying to figure out why there are 6 x the LTESL’s
Carbon Disulfide 6.66 ppb
Dimethyl trisulfide 8.82 ppb

in an air sample 1.5 miles down wind.

EPA pesticide/herbicide division as no understanding why they would be using it.

As for the EDB, I think, we need to look at what compounds it breaks down to, or what it could have been in a previous half life, when I look at my air report when I see this it makes me wonder:
Dichlorodifluoromethane (F12) 0.33

There’s a few others, we should really have a better understanding. You know, how methane + sunlight = formaldehyde. There’s probably stuff that it was, or it becomes.

Jana August 26, 2011 at 1:46 am

Hey, did you know that Ethylene D. Bromide has a Facebook page? Her other gassy family members Hydro “Jen” Sulfide, and Ben Zene do too. They are looking for people to like them so they can stick around to educate people.

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