Drinking water contamination can last
Back in 2009, I blogged about the community of Dimock, Pennsylvania. It was the site of fracking by Cabot Corporation that went wrong and led to diesel spills, fracking fluid spills that contaminated wetlands and a creek, and contamination of groundwater. Eighteen families were affected. In 2024, 15 years later, residents of Dimock are still asking for help to get clean drinking water. A legal settlement was supposed to result in a new municipal water supply for the community, but it’s been held up, and solid plans have yet to materialize. In the meantime, more fracking is planned by Cabot’s successor, Coterra Energy, for the area.
Air pollution and sick families in West Virginia
In the West Virginia community of Knob Fork, it’s reported that four families living near a massive fracking operation, well pad, compressor station, and tank farm experienced significant health effects. Beginning in 2020, these families reported serious symptoms including nausea, chest pain, muscle pain, nerve pain, muscle twitching, trouble breathing, chemical scents and taste in their mouths, headaches, brain fog, rashes, eyes and mouth burning, lethargy and fatigue, dizziness, and more.
They purchased their own air monitors and reportedly found elevated levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their air. Their urine samples reportedly showed high levels of VOCs, including in their children. VOCs can include the BTEX chemicals—benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene —and other toxic hydrocarbons, including formaldehyde. These chemicals can be released into the air from oil and gas operations and equipment and can lead to the health symptoms noted above as well as longer-term health impacts, such as organ damage, cancers, and adverse birth outcomes.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reportedly visited this community, as did the nonprofit organization Earthworks, with optical gas imaging cameras and reportedly detected dangerous air pollution emanating from the well pad near these homes.
Importantly, these families reported that their symptoms disappeared when they left the community, sometimes leaving in the middle of the night to escape noxious fumes. Despite repeated complaints, it appears that no state or federal agency has yet taken action to stop these air emissions.
It’s past time to close special loopholes for the oil and gas industry
For decades, the oil and gas industry has been granted special exemptions from some of our nation’s most important environmental laws, including the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Air Act, among others. That means the industry is allowed to pollute communities in ways that other industries are not. And many of their pollutants are known to cause serious health effects. It’s past time for Congress to close these dangerous loopholes.
