Here is information from the recent air quality test in Flower Mound done by Kleinfelder, an independent testing lab hired by the town. The air quality tests show levels of Carbon Disulfide exceeded the TCEQ short-term effects screening level of 10 parts per billion. We understand that these are preliminary tests and the Town is conducting further testing to determine the source. Town officials will be presenting the Town Council and the public with a full report at the March 25th meeting.
This air quality test is to be a "baseline" for the Town of Flower Mound. Kleinfelder tested 8 sites.
Here are the 3 locations and screening results that exceed the TCEQ short term effects screening level for Carbon Disulfide.
- 18.5 Furst Ranch
- 69.0 Fire Station #2 Shiloh Rd.
- 11.2 Morriss Rd Park
Carbon Disulfide can cause the following acute symptoms:
Headache, dizziness, fatigue, excitement or depression. High concentrations can cause serious psychological disturbances and in some cases death. Psychiatric disturbances (including excitability, confusion, extreme irritability, uncontrolled anger, emotional instability, nightmares, depression) have been observed following episodes of exposure to high concentrations of carbon disulfide.
Click here for information on Carbon Disulfide.
Council Member's Filidoro and Hayden share our concerns and are continuously trying to persuade the majority of council to reconsider the moratorium. They were the only members of council to support putting the Flower Mound Cares Petition on the ballot in May. If these air quality test results and the methane mapping is not enough proof to re-visit the moratorium, what is?
22 comments:
My God so this is what the emergency meeting was all about. What in the world could be said to make you think this was ok and to forgo a moratorium
I just emailed all the council and mayor. This is all the more reason for a moratorium on new permits. We also need to remind them that when a moratorium is called it is for the reason to adopt new ordinances regarding gas drilling. We need to demand a change in town ordinances to ones that require the gas companies to implement the lastest technology to keep us safe and also change the 1000 feet to at least 2 miles away from any resident, business or school.
Guess we need to wait till the cows start dying before they will do anything....
For the people in Flower Mound who like to say, "We're not Dish!" Well...Looks like we are after all! If not, we are getting there!
I heard it was a bi-product of the concrete they are manufacturing to build 1171, and it doesn't have anything to do with drilling.
What? Good try. If concrete put out that much carbon disulfide the TCEQ and the EPA would be all over the concrete industry.
If you people are so worried about the air, why is it I don't see anyone wearing gas masks around Town?
Or maybe it's the cow poop, that's always my favorite. Or how about that benzene from a volcano. Hmmm, I wonder what a volcano does to property values, I guess I'll never know since there are none in Flower Mound. Really, concrete and a volcano are your arguments?
My favorite is a comment from someone at the Dish Town Meeting on Wednesday.
This person, who I have seen at many Flower Mound Town Council Meetings, tried to say that Flower Mound is a landfill! So that is why the methane is so high. Funny the readings are only elevated near gas drilling production.
I guess he hasn't gone to the library to read about the town's history.
I love the cow poop comments. I say - I'd rather live next to a bunch of cows then drilling any day. And - we can use the cow patties for fuel just like the pioneers! To the gas mask comment - watch out - we just might. Any one know where we can get a whole buch of gas masks for the next town council meeting?
Thank you for letting us know about this. I look forward to having a mayor and town council members who will put our health and safety first from now on. Jody Smith, Jean Levenick, Steve Dixon and Mike Wallace certainly are not doing that now.
On May 8th, demand transparency and honesty from our leaders. Al Filidoro and Tom Hayden are the only two who have consistently been listening to and fighting for the people in Flower Mound. Re-elect Al Filidoro Place 2, elect Melissa Northern for Mayor, and Steve Lyda Place 4. NFL!
Jennifer G - How about a little Honesty and Transparency from the "Flower Mound Cares Petition Group" who have yet to post, or publish a copy of the petition so the public at large can read it without having to leave their homes. Or how about making copies of the petition available to anyone who would like to take one home at read it in the privacy of their own homes, with access to the ordinances that the petition references frequently. That's the kind of Honesty and Transparency I'd like to see. Is their something in the "Petition" they are trying to hide from the public?
IF this NFL thing was for real, then why haven't any of them (other than Lyda) filed? Why did Jeff Whitikar (Filidoro's good friend) pick up a packet for Filidoro's seat? Why does Filidoro's website say something about an announcement on Monday, what that you are running for your seat again...Ohhh big shocker? What the heck is going on here?
There's nothing to hide, I bet you drive by the Z Bar at least 2 times a day, take 5 minutes and stop and read it. The only thing that hasn't been trasparent is the "leadership" since 2004.
People, people, people....Now all us residents know we are on a landfill. I guess if you throw enough cow poop out there something will stick! hehehe!
Regarding the gas mask comment: I only wish there was a way to protect the THOUSANDS of children living in the communities neighboring the Shiloh readings. I'd love to see someone try to get my 2-yr-old to wear a gas mask. If our elementary schools start to see an uptick in behavioral problems, it'll be too late to do anything.
Health is not the first thing coming to their minds, money is. The almighty dolllar, which isn't as almighty as it used to be, I might add.
Everyone seems so concerned about the drilling...how about showing some concern for the families who have been going through the effects of this terrible man made money making business. The families of the leukemia patients, who don;t know from one day to another if their loved one will be here tomorrow. All of this for a DAMN DOLLAR. You have to love the human race it's all about the money NEVER about the people. FLOWER MOUND YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED of yourselves. Especially the people getting paid for the gas drilling. Your monthly check is glorifying the fact that this is causing people to get sick and having to deal with cancer. I just hope you can explain one day to the leukemia patients what they had to suffer for...SO YOU CAN GET RICH.
Amazing how someone can leap to the conclusion that gas drilling has caused leukemia, without any evidence whatsoever. If I were looking for a cause, I would start with tobacco smoke in the house, then perhaps test benzine levels at the Wellington Community Center pool (yes - chloriated water is linked to benzine). Speaking of benzine, did any of you anti-drilling loons notice the article in the newspaper Saturday morning showing NO DANGEROUS LEVELS OF BENZINE FOUND AT THE FLOWER MOUND SITES? Some of the sites showed no benzine at all! It will be interesting to see how the loons spin these results (for example, the temperatures too cold).
Carbon Disulfide is a dangerous chemical. The TCEQ, by their own admission back in December, knows that they have a long way to go when it comes to air quality testing. They are making improvements to their policies. But, wind direction, temperature,distance, elevation and humidity must be factored into the results. In the previous tests, some of that important data was not taken into consideration.
I can tell you that when you or a family member are diagnosed with leukemia, hodgkins or thyroid cancer, the first thing your doctor will ask you is if you have been exposed to higher than normal benzene levels. A pool is not higher than normal. But a leak at a compression station, which Williams admitted to having one last year at of the council meetings, has the possibility of putting high doses of benzene out in the air.
Williams stated that they do their own inspections twice a year.
That compression station has been there for a number of years. If there have been other leaks, that were not detected immediately, then benzene could have been emitted in higher levels.
So if I understand Steve's logic, he wants to assume that at some point in time the compression station leaked dangerous levels of benzene, that some people were exposed to this benzene, and then they contracted leukemia as a result. Really? We're going to assume that and make regulations accordingly? I'll stick with tobacco and pools (both the chlorinated and genetic types) as the more likely suspects, along with auto exhaust and gasoline stations.
TCEQ does not test for carbon disulfide in it's suma canister results, nor it's permanent air monitoring stations! You have to regional request that Austin send down it's van and the van has to be specially set up to test for that. Matt Baker from TCEQ/Austin told me that in the oil and gas industry, that they use benzene for their lowest screening level. My take on that is "if the bnezene is low, then the others (carbon disulfide) should be low too". I asked him what it meant if the benzene was not high, but the carbon disulfide was and he said he needed to see those independnt tests to comment. HAH!
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