TCEQ Interactive map of Barnett Shale

I haven’t posted about the TCEQ Barnett Shale Air Sampling Interactive Map yet.

At first glance you only see the green dots but if you zoom in on your neighborhood you will see that the green dots are covering up the red and blue dots indicating that a problem was found. The number of dots tells me that TCEQ is receiving a lot of complaints and the number of red and blue dots indicates patterns are emerging. What people need to realize is that the map provides no context and no toxicological information. It is a great start but it is simply a graphic representation of a one-time visit and nothing more. Too bad they don’t have all the private testing results. That would paint quite a different picture.

Here’s another thing that concerns me: often times the testing reveals numerous toxic compounds were detected but all or most were below the TCEQ Effects Screening Levels (ESL). We don’t know what it means to have all those toxic compounds mixing together in our bodies. There is a reason that the first question a doctor asks is, “What medications are your taking?” We know that mixing safe doses of certain chemicals in our bodies can be dangerous or even lethal. No one knows what happens when we breathe in 32 different toxic compounds even if they are at what is considered a safe level.

This is why I believe priority focus should be on preventing the emissions in the first place rather than continually measuring the emissions. We know the emissions exist. The emissions are toxic compounds.

This is nothing new. All across the country people who live in the gas-patch are suffering from poor air quality. Technology exists to solve the problem.