What We Said, Part Two

What Susan said

Quick question. Raise your hand if you live in Argyle or have students in Arygle ISD? Great, then I have a story for you.

In the fall of 2004 the construction of two wells and a compression station began in Flower Mound. This natural gas drilling facility is known as the Bunn unit, it is approximately 1300 feet or ¼ mile from Liberty Elementary School. When the children can are on the playground, they can see the work-over rig during recess.

Six years after commencing construction, in response to citizen concerns about possible elevations of cancer in the area near Liberty, an investigation by the department of state health services was conducted.

Yesterday I spoke with two representatives of Flower Mound Shares to confirm two cases of brain tumors, 10 cases of breast cancer and 12 cases of childhood leukemia all within the area of Liberty Elementary. These figures are alarming – especially the childhood leukemia part – because the children in the area were beginning to be diagnosed in 2005 – one year after construction.

Researchers have done studies on certain toxicants (benzene/formaldehyde and others) people come in contact with, that have been linked to leukemia. So we don’t need to ask if leukemia is hereditary as much as what environment you reside in. Being exposed to a harsh chemical for even a short period of time or being exposed to radiation may cause leukemia. Leukemia is a preventable cancer.

Now, let’s do a little fortune telling based on the fact that 36 wells and 4 compressor stations are planned within a few hundred feet to ¾ miles from your campuses.

If we use the calculations based of the Bunn Unit near Liberty Elementary we can predict that in the year 2016, in just 6 years, the Argyle school board will have to answer to the parents of the potential 36 children diagnosed with brain tumors, the 180 women (teachers, volunteers, mothers) diagnosed with breast cancer and finally the parents of 216 children diagnosed with leukemia. Are. You. Prepared?

I know with 100% certainty that some of you have signed gas leases and some of you haven’t.  I also know with that same 100% certainty that part of the board’s mission statement states that you provide a safe environment. Is this a safe environment that you are currently providing for your students? Do you lay down at night with 100% certainty that it is the safest it can possibly be and your conscience is at peace with your actions and choices?

I cannot be at peace with myself because I cannot give you any data on what will happen once we have a fully functional gas refinery, called Argyle Central, located ¾ of a mile from your high school and middle school campus  Why? Because I could not find a gas refinery located that close to a school to compare. But my best guess is that the number of our children who get sick will go up, not down.

Believe it or not, Argyle residents are the guinea pigs for gas drilling. No longer can you ask where are the statistics; we are becoming part of the statistics. We are a bad poster child for how to do it fast, cheap and wrong, without adequate protection for the environment, health and water. Our government regulators are failing at protecting us -Are you willing to fail us too? When our children are practicing band in a cloud of chemicals and our asthma kids are sitting on the sidelines because they can’t breath, you know something is wrong.

I realize not everyone shares my concerns about the health impacts that natural gas drilling has on us. But there is one thing that we can all agree on and that is a half a million dollars is a lot of money. I don’t know how much money AISD has received for its gas leases so far in 2010, but in the 2009 school year Argyle ISD received close to half a million dollars. That’s fantastic. A half a million dollars is a lot of money for a school district.

But it is not a lot of money for a family who is fighting a cancer like leukemia. Because the average cost of treatment for the is over $600,000.

You can’t put a price on keeping our kids healthy. These children are in your care all day long.

I’m not sure what you can do stop the drilling around our schools, or what you can do to stop the air and water pollution from trespassing onto your campuses. But you need to try. As board members, your voice is strong and it will be heard. Please, please, please take these early warning signs seriously.

It shouldn’t take a body count of children before the community starts paying attention.

What Sharon said

Over a period of six years I have documented community impacts in the Barnett Shale. What follows are four case studies out of hundreds.

1. The Parr family — surrounded by 21 gas wells

Lisa’s health began to deteriorate with breathing difficulties, nausea, headaches, violent rashes from head to bottoms of her feet (which has left her scarred with pockmarks), biopsy of oozing scalp welts, four ping-pong size lumps on neck, yet six doctors found nothing medically wrong. Lisa discovers that Ruggiero timeline of environmental events matches her medical records. After experiencing balance and neurological problems, Lisa is referred to environmental specialists. Testing shows drilling chemicals in Lisa’s blood and lungs that match chemicals detected in TCEQ air testing around her home.

Bob Parr, 50 years old, has nosebleeds – 3 to 5 prior to last year, when he began having about 3 per week, Bob and daughter, Emma, have simultaneous nosebleeds; he has a loss of balance and neurological problems

Emma Parr was recently diagnosed with asthma. She has rashes and nausea.

After receiving Lisa’s test results, her doctor advised them to leave their home within 48 hours. They are now living at in Bob’s office space.

2. The Ruggiero family

Neighbors to Parrs with two gas wells on their 10-acre property, they have experienced several spills, a continuous methane seep; constant emissions, releases and odor events in the past year.  TCEQ & private environmental testing show exceedances including 120 ppb of benzene.

Health problems: 10 year-old Reilly has asthma; Christine has memory loss and rashes;  Tim has neurological problems

In September, the Wise County Appraisal Board devalued their property 75%. Originally on the 2010 taxrolls for $257,330, their home and 10-acre horse property are now worth $75,240. “I wouldn’t sell it for $78,000,” said Patsy Slimp, a board member and former real estate agent. “I could not sell this house in a clear conscience.”

3. Sandra DenBraber

Lives 600’ from facility with over 20 wells and compression station, exposed to ethylbenzene, m,p-Xylene, Hexane, 2-Methylpentane, 3-Methylpentane. In a letter to the TCEQ, her doctor states: “…it is my medical opinion that her current illness and inability to recover is related to her constant and continual exposure to diesel exhaust fumes and other chemicals associated with the oil and gas drilling/fractionating and compressor station…”

4. Deborah Rogers

Egregious odors from Chesapeake Energy facility next door. Private testing detected numerous toxic compounds — all the sulfur compounds were above short term AND long term TCEQ Effects Screening Levels. Carbon disulfide was 300 times higher than EPA’s normal for ambient urban air.

Further testing found similar conditions. She suffers nausea and massive nosebleeds that begin with severe headaches. “The nose bleeds,” Deborah said, “are spontaneous and very frightening because the blood flows copiously and within seconds you are covered in blood, your face, your hands, your clothes. I have never before had nose bleeds in my life.”

She has a small farm. The evening after first testing two baby goats and six baby chicks asphyxiated. A letter from a senior veterinary toxicologist at TX A&M states the levels of compounds problematic to animal’s health and to the food chain because these compounds are known to be ingested or inhaled and magnify up the food chain in milk and meat.

She also has letters from Dr. David Sterling, Chair of Environmental & Occupational Health at UNT Health Science Center and Dr. Al Armendariz, then professor at SMU expressing concern for human health.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality 12-hour odor response began after Dish air quality issues. Eight months later, an analysis based on public documents, found that 98% of the time, when you call in with an odor complaint, TCEQ finds no violation, even when 40% of the time you tell them the odors are making you sick with ailments ranging from headaches, vomiting and burning eyes to heart palpitations, dizziness and breathing difficulties

Community Impact  — there is psychological trauma to our children who do not feel safe in their homes.

Anyone who ignores, downplays or disputes the PROVEN health effects from living in the gas-patch is either willfully ignorant or negligent!

Tomorrow: What We Said, Part Three, “The Ask”