Fracked Gas Die-In
As you know, I’ve been devoting time and energy to stop fracked gas infrastructure from invading my county. Compressor stations are a big part of gas pipeline systems. They are needed along a pipeline route to compress the gas and keep the gas moving along the pipeline. They also keep pressure from building up which could result in a catastrophic explosion. Never forget. for even a minute, about the flammable, explosive nature of methane, CH4.
These compressor stations release large amounts of methane, plus many other toxins. Fugitive methane, a fancy word for leaking methane, contributes significantly to global warming.This is one of many reasons that natural gas is not clean or a bridge fuel to the future. Compressor stations make loud humming noises 24/7, and can catch fire and explode. After all, methane is explosive.
Compressor stations are spaced every 30 to 70 miles, though sometimes they are much closer. Here in Westchester, we have one in Southeast. There is another one on the other side of the Hudson River in Stony Point.
Compressor stations are huge public health risks. Here is a handful of toxins and related health conditions, put together by Curtis Nordgaard, MD, a Resident Pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital
-Particulate matter: Asthma, heart attacks, diabetes
-Benzene: Leukemia, bone marrow suppression
-Formaldehyde: Asthma, several types of cancer
-Nitrogen oxide: Produces hazardous ground level ozone, an asthma trigger associated with respiratory tract irritation and infection
Cancer. Benzene levels have been measured near compressor stations that far exceed cancer-causing thresholds. Formaldehyde levels can exceed cancer-causing thresholds up to at least a half mile away from compressor stations.
Compressor stations aren’t just unhealthy, they are downright dangerous. Since 2011, there have been explosions and fires at compressor stations in Lathrop, Pa, Brooklyn Township, PA, Montrose, PA, Branchville, NJ, Windsor, NY, Pinedale, WY, Marengo County, AL, Oaktown, IN, Langton, OK, Nine Mile Canyon in UT – among others. Explosions have required midnight evacuations of nearby residents, with people evacuated out to a one-mile radius.
Here in Westchester County, our Department of Health has been silent on the health and safety dangers posed by the fracked gas compressor station in northern Westchester. But yesterday, they made time to hold an emergency preparedness drill, for Anthrax of all things. We showed up to their drill and did a die-in to get their attention. Others called the Health Department on the phone to ask about health and safety problems with Spectra Energy’s pipeline.
