k Township PA. A well blowout in Clearfield County, PA on June 3, 2010 sent more than 35,000 gallons of hydraulic fracturing fluids into the air and onto the surrounding landscape in a forested area. Campers were evacuated and the company EOG Resources and the well completion company C.C. Forbes have been ordered to cease all operations in the state of Pennsylvania pending investigation. I know we need more natural resources, but not at the cost of ruining the environment. Years ago, asbestos was considered a cure for many problems until it was found to also be a health hazard. Inhaling the asbestos fibers may increase the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma (a relatively rare cancer of the thin membranes that line the chest and abdomen). In the mid-70s Carol and I decided to redo our basement on Janet Ave. and put in a TV room. There was no heat in the basement except for the hot water pipes that carried hot water to our radiators in the rest of the house. I got the bright idea to take off the thick white covering from the pipes to help make the basement warmer. About an hour after I started I realized it was asbestos I was removing and I had inhaled the fibers. Mesothelioma doesn't show symptoms until years after the initial exposure. Every time I have a lingering cough after a cold I worry about what I inhaled years before. I recently had a chest X-ray and eventually a CAT scan because of a constant cough, but the CAT scan showed nothing on it. I often wonder if everyone really knows what they are eating, breathing and touching every day of their lives. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The "Do You Really Know What You Are Eating, Breathing, and Touching?" Story
It was an ordinary day. Reading in the newspaper that Halliburton has finally disclosed the chemicals that are being used to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale area which runs through Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York. Some of the chemicals found in hydraulic fracturing fluid used by the company include: formaldehyde, ammonium chloride, acetic anhydride, methanol, hydrochloric acid and propargyl alcohol. Fracking is the process of pumping sand, water and chemicals into a wellbore under extreme pressure to help fracture the shale and allow the underground gas to escape. It is the chemicals that have proven to be hazardous to the health of those near the areas that are being exploited. Formaldehyde is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. And the companies that are doing the fracking could be contaminating the ground water of thousands of people. Some residents of the states mentioned have already reported brown, ill-tasting water. In April 2010 the state of Pennsylvania banned Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. from further drilling in the entire state until it plugs wells believed to be the source of contamination of the drinking water of 14 homes in Dimock Township PA. A well blowout in Clearfield County, PA on June 3, 2010 sent more than 35,000 gallons of hydraulic fracturing fluids into the air and onto the surrounding landscape in a forested area. Campers were evacuated and the company EOG Resources and the well completion company C.C. Forbes have been ordered to cease all operations in the state of Pennsylvania pending investigation. I know we need more natural resources, but not at the cost of ruining the environment. Years ago, asbestos was considered a cure for many problems until it was found to also be a health hazard. Inhaling the asbestos fibers may increase the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma (a relatively rare cancer of the thin membranes that line the chest and abdomen). In the mid-70s Carol and I decided to redo our basement on Janet Ave. and put in a TV room. There was no heat in the basement except for the hot water pipes that carried hot water to our radiators in the rest of the house. I got the bright idea to take off the thick white covering from the pipes to help make the basement warmer. About an hour after I started I realized it was asbestos I was removing and I had inhaled the fibers. Mesothelioma doesn't show symptoms until years after the initial exposure. Every time I have a lingering cough after a cold I worry about what I inhaled years before. I recently had a chest X-ray and eventually a CAT scan because of a constant cough, but the CAT scan showed nothing on it. I often wonder if everyone really knows what they are eating, breathing and touching every day of their lives. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
k Township PA. A well blowout in Clearfield County, PA on June 3, 2010 sent more than 35,000 gallons of hydraulic fracturing fluids into the air and onto the surrounding landscape in a forested area. Campers were evacuated and the company EOG Resources and the well completion company C.C. Forbes have been ordered to cease all operations in the state of Pennsylvania pending investigation. I know we need more natural resources, but not at the cost of ruining the environment. Years ago, asbestos was considered a cure for many problems until it was found to also be a health hazard. Inhaling the asbestos fibers may increase the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma (a relatively rare cancer of the thin membranes that line the chest and abdomen). In the mid-70s Carol and I decided to redo our basement on Janet Ave. and put in a TV room. There was no heat in the basement except for the hot water pipes that carried hot water to our radiators in the rest of the house. I got the bright idea to take off the thick white covering from the pipes to help make the basement warmer. About an hour after I started I realized it was asbestos I was removing and I had inhaled the fibers. Mesothelioma doesn't show symptoms until years after the initial exposure. Every time I have a lingering cough after a cold I worry about what I inhaled years before. I recently had a chest X-ray and eventually a CAT scan because of a constant cough, but the CAT scan showed nothing on it. I often wonder if everyone really knows what they are eating, breathing and touching every day of their lives. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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