More drinking water contamination incidents from Pennsylvania, including arsenic
Posted September 1, 2011 in Health and the Environment
Back in 2009, I blogged about a family in Washington County, Pennsylvania, who found very high levels of arsenic in their drinking water after nearby fracking. Just recently I have heard of more cases of arsenic contamination in the same region.
Stacy Haney of Washington County is a Registered Nurse. After leasing her land for natural gas drilling, Stacey’s dog, her neighbor’s dog, and three goats died. Stacey’s horse became sick, and then Stacey and her children became sick. Her son was hospitalized twice and was unable to go to school for over a year, and Stacey and her daughter experienced similar symptoms. An autopsy revealed arsenic in the neighbor’s dog, and both Stacey and her daughter were found to have arsenic in their blood. Their symptoms improved after they stopped drinking their tap water.
Earlier this month I blogged about the McEvoy family in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Their water turned black and had a very foul smell within 2 months of nearby drilling and fracking activities in early 2011. Water tests showed high levels of arsenic and other substances.
In the same area as the McEvoys, Janet McIntyre reports that there are at least seven wellpads within a mile of her home, with one as close as 500 feet. Her entire family became very ill for several days--until their water began foaming and they stopped drinking it. Then their symptoms went away. Janet told a TV news reporter: "They fracked a well within 1,000 feet of our house, and when they fracked, we got sick." Janet believes she has experienced symptoms that can be caused by arsenic poisoning. Water testing has found contaminants associated with natural gas operations but, inexplicably, she says her water was not tested for arsenic.
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Comments
Denco — Sep 2 2011 12:32 PM
When the NRDC, which is full of talented scientist, publish these articles it makes me sad. There is so much conjecture in this article. Did the NRDC investigate these occurrences (probably) and what did they find? Was there Arsenic in the frac fluid of the offset fracs? Was there Arsenic in the drilling fluids for the wells. If so, were there drilling losses? Is there naturally occurring Arsenic in the groundwater of the area (probably). Hair testing of those affected with the Arsenic would give a chronology of the exposure. Did the companies sample water in the wells before drilling as a CYA? Smart ones do. So NRDC what really happened in these cases?
Nell Wade — Sep 3 2011 04:35 PM
Denco: I guess you're not aware of the policy of "fracking", so i will share what little I know. "Fracking" is a new system of injecting millions of gallons of water, along with "proprietary" chemicals to get natural gas out of the ground. It was not done until Dick Cheney guaranteed that the chemical list would be a national secret and that no one can get the proprietary info from the companies. CA is on the verge of making it law that companies that use this system publish what they're putting into the water and into our ground (Yay, CA!!). Therefore, neither the NRDC, the EPA, concerned citizens or local governments can get this information from the energy companies. If there was natural Arsenic in the groundwater, don't you think these people and their animals would've gotten sick before?? Denco, why would you find what the NRDC published as sad? Do you actually believe that energy companies give a damn about the people they're drilling near?? If you would've done a little research you would've found, as I did, that fracking chemicals will not be disclosed until the companies are made to disclose them. They KNOW what they are putting into the water and soil, but they won't tell anyone else. Does this sound like a policy you want to uphold - or question? And that's what BLOGGER Amy Mall has done. I don't understand your sentence "Did the companies (what companies) sample water in the wells (whose wells) before drilling as a CYA (what's a CYA), so I can't respond. So, my best guess, what really happened in these cases is that people got sick, animals died, because natural gas companies are spewing tons of arsenic and OTHER UNKNOWN chemicals into the ground and water of Pennsylvania and all around the country. It's an environmental catastrophe that is only beginning to surface (along with the tainted and toxic water). I hope I've answered some of your questions, so that the NRDC can get on with bringing these policies out in the open and then litigating against them when possible.
Lisa W. — Sep 3 2011 06:40 PM
i have to say, Stacey & her family got what they deserve. we've heard for a while the dangers & devestations of fracking. but, if you are going to be so money hungry as to let those rapers of the earth onto your land instead of protecting it from them, then Mother Nature is going to send karma your way.
Janet McMahan — Sep 4 2011 02:39 PM
My son, Ben, our two Labradors & I were diagnosed with CANCER around the same time... during and shortly after DROUGHT of 2008. We found toxic levels of ARSENIC, MANGANESE & IRON in our drinking water. The State of GA said that they are finding TOXIC LEVELS of Uranium, Arsenic and Radon all over the state. The problem is they are telling people to run spigot for 2 to 3 minutes, then slow water to a pencil-thin stream to collect water for heavy metals such as ARSENIC. You may miss it... Check water from water heater for heavy metals. Use spigot at bottom of water heater to collect in a coffee cup then test for ARSENIC DOWN TO ZERO or they will stop at 5ppb and still say "negligible" which is FAR FROM THE TRUTH!!! www.caringbridge.org/visit/benmcmahan
Amy Mall — Sep 6 2011 04:25 PM
I completely agree that we need solid scientific investigation of drinking water contamination incidents, to understand what happened and how best to prevent any contamination in the future. That is why the EPA's investigation into the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water is so critical. As I've written before, to date, these incidents have not been sufficiently investigated. This blog post discusses first-hand accounts from families who report changes in their drinking water and health. These reports should be thorougly investigated; I will post any results.
I also agree that baseline water testing should be done near any planned oil or gas extraction sites. This will only be useful, however, if the baseline testing is for an appropriate range of contaminants, including hydraulic fracturing chemicals, methane and other hydrocarbons, VOCs, metals, salts, and radioactive material.
There are many innocent victims of industrial pollution, including those who leased their minerals. They may not have been aware of the risks, they may have been victims of predatory leasing, or they may have been misinformed by people they trusted. These families would never willingly put their children in harm's way. It is absolutely essential that we increase awareness of the risks, the inadequacy of current regulations to protect public health, and the need for much stronger rules and enforcement wherever oil and gas exploration and production occurs.
Amy Mall — Sep 6 2011 04:30 PM
Dear Janet: Thank you for submitting your comment about arsenic. I am very sorry to hear about the health of your family. Are you familiar with the
Northeast Georgia Children's Environmental Health Coalition? If not, I can send you information.
Denco — Sep 6 2011 11:11 PM
I am not sure the EPA still is allowed to do science under the current administration...or at least publish their findings without political review.