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Protecting children from Barnett Shale natural gas toxic emissions

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I found more press covering last night’s Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods meeting.

CBS, Channel 11 has an excellent report – Harmful Chemical Found At Drilling Sites Near 3 FWISD Schools

The Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods presented scientific evidence to a group of about 25 parents Thursday that showed high levels of carbon disulfide found near three FWISD schools.

Carbon disulfide is a colorless, volatile liquid linked to respiratory, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular problems. It has not, however, been linked to cancer.

Testing found the chemical at gas drilling sites near East Handley Elementary, Dunbar High School and Burton Hill Elementary.

As I’ve said before, benzene is not the only toxin of concern emitting from natural gas sites in the Barnett Shale. Carbon disulfide is a particularly nasty toxin with horrible side effects. I will post more about carbon disulfide later.

And from the Star-Telegram: Drilling study finds high pollution levels near Fort Worth schools

“Things need to be put in place to mitigate the risks,” said Deborah Rogers of the league, which conducted the study for the Fort Worth school district.

In November, the school district delayed signing two mineral lease agreements until the study could be completed. The league will present its findings to school trustees Tuesday.

The report acknowledges that the results may not be entirely reliable because drilling company officials were uncooperative.

“Every time we reached out to the operators, they just put us off,” Rogers said.

I already posted about WFAA’s coverage but here is the link to the video: Proposal seeks to keep gas wells one mile from schools

These emissions can be controlled to a great extent but industry refuses to employ control technology because most of our elected officials do not have the courage to demand it.

UPDATE:
Amy Mall blogged about this and about other bad air news: More bad air news from natural gas drilling operations around the country

So much bad air leaves me breathless trying to keep up with reporting it. I wonder if we are nearing the tipping point.

About Sharon Wilson

Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.

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