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July 20, 2011
Dear Council:
Thank you for the opportunity to
share with you my family’s personal story as it relates
to various health issues we have been experiencing after
a Marcellus Shale compressor station was built near our
home.
My name is Pam Judy. I am a
resident of Carmichaels in Greene County.
In April 2006 we built a new home
on property originally belonging to great grandparents
and a part of the family farm. For three years my
family enjoyed the peace and quiet of living in the
country. However, in the spring of 2009, that quiet way
of life abruptly came to an end when a compressor
station was built 780 feet from our home on an adjoining
landowner’s property.
Due to the noise and the fumes from
the engines and dehydration unit that settle in our yard
we can no longer spend time outdoors. Shortly after
operations began, we started to experience extreme
headaches, runny noses, sore/scratchy throats, muscle
aches and a constant feeling of fatigue. Both of our
children are experiencing nose bleeds and I’ve had
dizziness, vomiting and vertigo to the point that I
couldn’t stand and was taken to an emergency room. Our
daughter has commented that she feels as though she has
cement in her bones.
In November of last year our son
was out on our property scouting for deer in preparation
for the opening day of the season. Some of these areas
were in close proximity to the compressor site. Within
one day of being out, he developed blisters in his mouth
and throat, had extreme difficulty swallowing, and on
Thanksgiving morning he went to the emergency room of a
nearby hospital.
After conducting research regarding
possible emissions from facilities such as this, and the
associated illnesses, I contacted Calvin Tillman, Mayor
of Dish Texas. Dish residents had experienced a similar
problem a few years ago when drilling was done into the
Barnett Shale. Mayor Tillman provided me with a list of
blood and urine tests which could be done to determine
exposure. In May 2010 I had those tests performed and
the results revealed my body contained measurable levels
of benzene and phenol.
This prompted me to become even
more vigilant in determining what we were being exposed
to. In June 2010, I was able to convince the PA DEP to
conduct an air quality study which focused on
concentrations of volatile organic compounds typically
found in petroleum products. The study consisted of a
24 hour canister air sampling in my yard and 4 days of
monitoring at the site where an infrared camera was
used.
The results of the 24 hour canister
sampling revealed 16 chemicals including benzene,
styrene, toluene, xylene, hexane, heptane, acetone,
acrolein, propene, carbon tetrachloride and
chloromethane to name a few.
Most, if not all, of the
aforementioned compounds are known carcinogens and, if
exposed, carry with them the very symptoms my family and
I have been experiencing. Benzene has been directly
linked to various blood cancers including leukemia and
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
In November 2010 the DEP released
their final report regarding findings at this site as
well as four additional locations. That report states
the department could find no emission levels that would
constitute a concern to the health of residents living
near Marcellus operations and that the sampling results
were used to characterize the acute non-cancer
health risks associated with industry emissions.
The report further states that they did not
address the cumulative or long-term impact of air
emissions or the lifetime cancer risks because this was
a short-term study.
Given the health issues we have
been experiencing since this facility began operations,
I am extremely concerned that as a result of prolonged
exposure to the previously mentioned chemicals, we will
develop even more serious health issues including
cancer. Yet this report focused on the non-cancerous
health risks.
As the Marcellus industry continues
to grow so does the number of compressor sites
required. With every compressor site comes increased
atmospheric hydrocarbon emissions that will, in my
opinion, and in the opinion of former DEP Secretary John
Hanger, have a huge cumulative impact on air quality in
PA.
As a local governing body you have
the authority to impose restrictions on companies
wanting to do business in your community. I would
implore you to exercise that authority and establish
set-backs so that compressor sites cannot be built 780
feet from a residence. I realize that such facilities
are a necessary evil of this industry. However, they
should be built in more desolate areas with the least
amount of impact.
I have likened the Marcellus
industry to that of the asbestos industry years ago.
Both our government, and the asbestos industry, through
very elaborate public relations schemes led us to
believe there was no harm in being exposed to asbestos.
Only to find out years later the true cancer risks. I
truly believe we could be facing a similar situation as
a result of the Marcellus industry. And for those of
who have been exposed it could be too late.
For this reason, I would ask that
you take every precaution to protect the residents of
your community. It is your duty as elected officials to
insure their welfare and safety. A charge you should
not take lightly.
Should any members of council wish
to speak with me in person, I would be more than happy
to do so. And if I can be of any assistance, please do
not hesitate to contact me.
Respectfully,
Pam Judy
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