Doctors in Los Angeles are urging people exposed to a gas leak from a broken natural gas well, to EVACUATE THE AREA to stop breathing toxic fumes.
According to health professionals, hundreds of citizens are suffering severe effects from breathing methane and volatile chemical carbons in gases being released from underground from a cracked natural gas well on the Porter Ranch in the Aliso CCanyon outside of Los Angeles. Symptoms range from nose bleeds, to swollen throats, to difficulty breathing, to respiratory distress, then failure, then cardiac arrest. Doctors are now publicly telling citizens “get out.”
Officials confirm this is the largest natural gas leak ever recorded and that it is jeopardizing health and causing evacuations for thousands of Southern California residents… Methane is estimated to be leaking out of the Aliso Canyon site at a rate of about 62 million standard cubic feet, per day… it’s potentially devastating on a planetary scale… This is what the cracked gas well looks like; two large holes in the ground:
Erin Brockovich, Dec 21, 2015: “The enormity of the Aliso Canyon gas leak cannot be overstated… and it shows no sign of stopping… According to tests conducted in November by the California Air Resources Board, the leak is spewing 50,000 kilograms of gas per hour — the equivalent to the strength of a volcanic eruption.” Here’s what it looks like in infra-red:
The Express, Dec 30, 2015: Thousands suffer nose bleeds and vomiting during ‘worst environmental disaster since BP’ — An invisibleenvironmental disaster which has been compared to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico BP oil spill has forced thousands of people from their homes… with nosebleeds, headaches and nausea, after millions of kilograms of invisible methane was released into the air… Residents claim the gas, which has drifted into surrounding neighborhoods, is making them suffer from nausea, nosebleeds, and headaches
Voice of America: Residents have suffered symptoms that include “nausea, abdominal discomfort, dizziness, light-headedness, some shortness of breath … even some nosebleeds,” said medical toxicologist Cyrus Rangan of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health… scientists are monitoring levels of benzene, a known cancer-causing agent… “We want to be sure that we are monitoring every single day because we’ve got a lot of ever-changing environmental conditions up there… so we’re not exactly sure what tomorrow’s benzene levels are going to be unless we check for it,” he said.
NPR, Dec 24, 2015: The carcinogen benzene was found well above expected levels in one government air sample… the sheer size of the release has been shocking… [Tim O’Connor, oil & gas specialist] “This is so far above and beyond what I’ve ever seen or what most people… in the oil and gas space have ever seen.”
Gizmodo, Dec 30, 2015: The leak has taken a serious toll on Porter Ranch residents, who for weeks have reported headaches, nausea, dizziness, and other symptoms… “People are having very real responses, based on their own sensitivity,” [Cyrus Rangan, director of the Toxics Epidemiology Program at LA County’s Department of Public Health] told Gizmodo. “In terms of acute chemical exposures, this is a really, really big deal.”
The Independent, Dec 29, 2015: Infrared video reveals huge ‘uncontained’ Methane gas leak in Los Angeles… Tim O’Connor, California climate director for the Environmental Defense Fund [said] “It is one of the biggest leaks we’ve ever seen reported.” “It is coming out with force, inincredible volumes. And it is absolutely uncontained,” O’Connor said… Company President Dennis V. Arriola wrote… “the leak does not pose an imminent threat to public safety.”
However, Rick Parker disagrees. “It’s the most massive gas blowout, gas well blowout, in a populated area in history. This has never happened before in a populated area. And so when they tell you that “It’s not damaging”, “It’s just temporary” — whatever nonsense they’re feeding you — understand, nobody knows. It’s never happened before… This can be deadly. Make sure you’re getting treated… Nobody knows what breathing this stuff constantly is doing to [the children]… He said.
The gas company says, “This is just the smell you’re reacting to, it’s just temporary, it’s not a problem, it’s not serious” — these people aren’t stupid. How could somebody possibly say that? We have children whose noses are bleeding every day, we have people who suffer from chronic headaches [and] are nauseous every single day. How does that not become a serious issue? Why are they saying something nobody here believes?… They’re trying to convince everybody that it’s all in our heads. It’s a trick.” he continued.
Mitchell Englander, Los Angeles City Councilman (45:30) — “I will tell you this goes well beyond Porter Ranch. We’ve had complaints from as far as Chatsworth, Northridge, and Granada Hills. Apparently this plume of toxic chemicals and whatever it might be doesn’t know zip codes. So it does keep moving into different locations and different places… This is the equivalent of the BP oil spill on land, in a populated community… We’ve declared a national disaster here.”
Dr. Richard Kang, pediatrician (52:45) — “Unfortunately the only real way to get away from the symptoms is, unfortunately, you have to relocate – you have to get away from the environment.”
r. Brooks Michaels, physician (54:00) — “The defense is capitalizing on the comment that it’s all in your head. Let me clarify a little bit – it’s in your head, it’s in your ears, it’s in your nose, it’s in your throat, and it’s in your chest… We’re seeing asthma increases, we’re seeing people who are using inhalers more often, primarily a lot of respiratory problems… If you have a chance to leave, if you’re able to leave… if you have a chance to relocate, do it now. I’m telling you, it’s really critical. It’s what we don’t know, more than what we do know… A lot of information will be coming out soon about what the chemical carbons are that are so volatile… It’s unbelievable when you see the quantity that’s there that is coming out… What I see in the field is the effect of that. Primarily pulmonary, people will bleed from their nose. It’s not of course just a pediatric problem, it affects all of us.”
Dr. David Smith, veterinarian (57:00) — “I have seen dozens of cases of pets being ill or becoming ill and I do believe it’s related to the exposure to the gas… I’ve seen dogs, cats, birds, pocket pets… The primary symptoms I’ve seen are gastrointestinal vomiting primarily. One dog actually had a torsion — I think is related to it — where the stomach flips on itself, not a good thing. We’ve seen quite a few respiratory problems… the only good solution is treat symptoms and remove pets form the exposure as much as possible, especially the chronic exposure… There are not things you should be inhaling… We have seen dermatologic issues as well, some very unusual bacterial infections in dogs. Interestingly enough, one client had a dog with a very unusual bacterial infection on its face. And the client developed almost the exact same kind of symptoms very soon after that, actually 2 people in the house did… Their physician, thinks it’s related, and so I tend to think these correlations are real.”
Jan 3, 2016: “I’ve been nauseous. I’ve felt lethargic,” said his mother Christine Soderlund. “My kids have had nosebleeds, they’ve had headaches… It’s surreal… We are a living science experiment I believe.” Developing story . . . . check back
