GASLAND Tonight, Jan. 20 - 7 PM Penn State New Kensington campus 3550 Seventh St. Rd (Rt. 780) Mayor Calvin Tillman is interviewed in Gasland, as well as many other people who have suffered health problems as a result of fracking. Come and learn what could happen here in PA. Please invite your family, friends, neighbors. New toxins report released TCEQ inspectors revisit Dish; elevated levels of formaldehyde found 11:12 PM CDT on Saturday, September 4, 2010 By Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe / Staff Writer DISH — State environmental inspectors returned to Dish, TX in mid-June after Mayor Calvin Tillman disclosed to the public that both his young sons recently woke in the night with heavy nosebleeds. Inspectors sampled the air for compounds they didn’t test for in previous visits, including formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, along with 16 other carbonyl compounds that are byproducts of combustion. Formaldehyde is not one of the toxic compounds regularly measured by permanent air monitors, such as the one installed in April at Clark Airport in Dish. Natural gas facilities in and around the 2 square miles of Dish, population 125, include four metering stations, 11 compressor stations and more than 20 major gathering pipelines. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality inspectors again found elevated levels of toxic compounds, according to a report released in mid-August. Inspectors found formaldehyde in all of the places they sampled, both during the day and at night. Twelve samples were taken near natural gas production facilities. Six others were taken as “airshed” samples, to see how emissions were dispersing farther away from the equipment. According to the report, all 18 samples had detectable levels of multiple compounds. ALSO ONLINE Map of formaldehyde sampling in Dish, June 15-18 The report noted the highest reading of formaldehyde at 4.8 parts per billion, found near a compression site and near a well site, and of acrolein at 0.15 ppb, found near a compression site. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a sparsely populated area would normally have about 0.2 ppb of formaldehyde in the air, or 24 times less than detected levels. Acrolein normally measures about 0.12 ppb in rural air. TCEQ released the findings without an accompanying statement from the agency’s toxicology division, an occasional practice when compounds are found at levels that pose a concern for long-term exposure. Tillman said he was frustrated that, because the findings were below short-term levels of concern, no enforcement action would be taken. “Long term is about being exposed every day, 24 hours a day, for 70 years,” Tillman said. “It seems to me that they [state officials] are firmly planning for us to go that long.” After the boys got nosebleeds, Tillman said, he had no choice but to try to sell his home. He has spent much of the summer painting and fixing his home to ready it for the market. Acrolein is formed as pollutants, such as exhaust, break down in outside air. The chemical can affect respiratory and neurological systems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment, but it has not been classified as a carcinogen. Formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, also forms in exhaust, and can form after methane reaches the atmosphere and breaks down in sunlight. Some questions remain about how quickly methane can break down and contribute to local levels of formaldehyde, according to Ramon Alvarez, an atmospheric scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund. None of the other 15 carbonyl compounds detected in Dish exceeded long-term thresholds, but every canister detected between five and 10 of those toxic compounds. An industry-funded study of Fort Worth and Arlington area facilities also found elevated levels of formaldehyde, fueling controversy among residents and environmental groups over the focus on benzene. State environmental officials have said that benzene is a good benchmark, since levels of other toxic compounds tend to be found at low levels when benzene levels are also low. Previous inspections in Dish have found benzene, a known carcinogen, and a host of other toxic compounds at elevated levels. In January, state health inspectors found toluene in the blood of 18 of the 28 residents sampled, with levels in five people above the 95th percentile. Another health survey of Dish residents, sponsored by the Texas Oil and Gas Accountability Project, showed that up to 61 percent of the health effects observed in Dish could be connected to the toxic compounds being detected in the air. The national Oil and Gas Accountability Project recently released a health survey for Pavillion, Wyo., another small town affected by natural gas drilling. While residents there were concerned most about health effects of the well water — this week the EPA cautioned residents not to drink the water after finding contaminants in 11 of the 39 water wells — 81 percent of those surveyed also reported health effects on their respiratory systems. Pavillion resident Jeff Locker said they had been waiting for so long to see what was in the water that concerns over air quality got pushed aside. He sees a pattern in the small pockets where people have been suffering, both in his hometown in Wyoming and around the country. “Around here, the people have learned to live with it — until they find that their neighbors have problems, too,” Locker said. PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com. OTHER COMPOUNDS FOUND In addition to formaldehyde and acrolein, state environmental inspectors found other carbonyl compounds in the 18 samples taken in June. Here is a complete list of those compounds, along with the number of samples in which they were detected. • acetaldehyde* (18) • acetone (18) • acrolein (6) • benzaldehyde* (1) • butyraldehyde (14) • 2,5-dimethylbenzaldehyde (17) • formaldehyde* (18) • hexaldehyde (12) • methyl ethyl ketone/methacrolein (17) • propionaldehyde (18) This article from the Denton Record-Chronicle, September 4, 2010. http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/DRC_Dish_Tox...