“White Lung” like Black Lung is a debilitating (permanent) condition

From the Message by Patricia Popple, Frac Sand Sentinel # 428, January 30, 2023

Doug Wood, who lives with his wife, Dawn, in Michigan, just south and west of Detroit, is besiged with a continually developing silica mine right next door to his home. Silica dust is carcinogenic and has known to be so for many years. It settles in the deep lung and in other body parts, unable to be released in anyway due to the small glasslike particulates that are a part of the geological formation.

While Michigan may have a standard set for respirable crystalline silica dust, it seems there is no enforcement by state protection agencies in residential areas. Who is responsible? Doug and his wife have worked endlessly it seems to get someone in the regulatory agencies and mining industry, to install air quality monitoring, and yet nothing has been achieved. Neighbors seem to be unconcerned about the presence of a mining operation that continues to spew dangerous dust into the air without concern for the residential areas that exist around the silica mine. There are other problems also associated with this operation including truck traffic and noise, but the dust produced is horrific and dangerous.

While it could take 20 years for silicosis to develop in the deep lung, it could take less. The glass like particulates don’t seem to be much different than asbestos which is also a known carcinogen.

Take a look at the video at the site and see for yourself the problems that the Wood family members are dealing with. They need help and support from the state and neighbors and Michigan’s protective agencies and organizations to spread this information and their concerns and more than that, take action.

Fractracker has played a role in the production of this video, and there are other videos in this series about the problems faced when regulatory agencies aren’t much concerned about the health, safety, and welfare of people and their offspring living near silica or other mines that bring the potential for grave health conditions to a neighborhood. Also, look for them on YouTube.

Please click on the video link here:
https://youtu.be/T6PSl9Cdhvw

I know that Wisconsinites are aware what the Wood Family is facing, but there are others of you in other locations who may be in similar situations. The industry must tighten its regulations, states and local governmental officials and groups much enforce. Residents and others must get involved by speaking out and by attending meetings of local and state agencies who can make a difference through rules, comprehensive plans, ordinances, zoning, and action.

>>> And by the way, register to VOTE in your communities at upcoming primary and general elections. It is critical that everyone get to the polls or participate in voting via absentee ballot. You can make a difference by researching candidates who are responsive to people facing environmental and health issues in your communties across the nation. Make a difference by exercising your right at your nearest voting location. VOTE!

>>> Welcome to the Frac Sand Sentinel, a newsletter highlighting resource links, news media accounts, blog posts, correspondence, observations and opinions gathered regarding local actions on, and impacts of, the developing frac sand mining and processing industries.

OSHA’s Final Rule to Protect Workers from Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica

From the Summary of the U. S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration, March 25, 2016

“Rule requires engineering controls to keep workers from breathing silica dust”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a final rule to curb lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease in America’s workers by limiting their exposure to respirable crystalline silica. The rule is comprised of two standards, one for Construction and one for General Industry and Maritime.

OSHA estimates that the rule will save over 600 lives and prevent more than 900 new cases of silicosis each year, once its effects are fully realized. The Final Rule is projected to provide net benefits of about $7.7 billion, annually.

About 2.3 million workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica in their workplaces, including 2 million construction workers who drill, cut, crush, or grind silica-containing materials such as concrete and stone, and 300,000 workers in general industry operations such as brick manufacturing, foundries, and hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Responsible employers have been protecting workers from harmful exposure to respirable crystalline silica for years, using widely-available equipment that controls dust with water or a vacuum system.

Key Provisions

>> Reduces the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for respirable crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over an 8-hour shift.

>> Requires employers to: use engineering controls (such as water or ventilation) to limit worker exposure to the PEL; provide respirators when engineering controls cannot adequately limit exposure; limit worker access to high exposure areas; develop a written exposure control plan, offer medical exams to highly exposed workers, and train workers on silica risks and how to limit exposures.

>> Provides medical exams to monitor highly exposed workers and gives them information about their lung health.

>> Provides flexibility to help employers — especially small businesses — protect workers from silica exposure.

Compliance Schedule

Both standards contained in the final rule take effect on June 23, 2016., after which industries have one to five years to comply with most requirements, based on the following schedule:

Construction – June 23, 2017, one year after the effective date.

General Industry and Maritime – June 23, 2018, two years after the effective date.

Hydraulic Fracturing – June 23, 2018, two years after the effective date for all provisions except Engineering Controls, which have a compliance date of June 23, 2021.

Background

The U.S. Department of Labor first highlighted the hazards of respirable crystalline silica in the 1930s, after a wave of worker deaths. The department set standards to limit worker exposure in 1971, when OSHA was created. However, the standards are outdated and do not adequately protect workers from silica-related diseases. Furthermore, workers are being exposed to silica in new industries such as stone or artificial stone countertop fabrication and hydraulic fracturing.

A full review of scientific evidence, industry consensus standards, and extensive stakeholder input provide the basis for the final rule, which was proposed in September 2013. The rule-making process allowed OSHA to solicit input in various forms for nearly a full year. The agency held 14 days of public hearings, during which more than 200 stakeholders presented testimony, and accepted over 2,000 comments, amounting to about 34,000 pages of material. In response to this extensive public engagement, OSHA made substantial changes, including enhanced employer flexibility in choosing how to reduce levels of respirable crystalline silica, while maintaining or improving worker protection.

More Information and Assistance

OSHA looks forward to working with employers to ensure that all workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica realize the benefits of this final rule. Please check back for frequent updates on compliance assistance materials and events, and learn about OSHA’s on-site consulting services for small business.

OSHA approved State Plans have six months to adopt standards that are at least as effective as federal OSHA standards. Establishments in states that operate their own safety and health plans should check with their State Plan for the implementation date of the new standards.

See the HAZARD ALERT here.

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

Snelson pipeline builder cited in worker death by OSHA

From an Article by Ken Ward Jr., Charleston Gazette, July 17, 2015

A pipeline construction contractor has been cited and fined $7,000 by federal officials following an investigation of the early January death of a worker on a project at Moundvsille. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Snelson Companies Inc. after examining the work site on Long Run Lane.

Steven Ray Hupp, 57, of Macfarlan in Ritchie County WV was killed on January 10th. OSHA cited “crushing internal injuries” that occurred when Hupp was pulled between the track and the frame of a sideboom crane as that equipment rolled backwards, downhill, from a parked position. Hupp was employed by Snelson, a pipeline services company based in Sedro Woolley, Washington.

OSHA said Hupp was working on a pipeline that would run from the Williams Ohio Valley Midstream gas processing plant near Cameron WV to the Blue Racer Midstream gas processing plant north of New Martinsville WV. OSHA inspectors cited Snelson for allegedly not ensuring that the tracks on the equipment Hupp was killed by were blocked when the machine was parked on a slope.

OSHA also alleged that Snelson did not train employees to safely park and block off equipment on such slopes. OSHA spokeswoman Joanna Hawkins said that the agency did not state a specific method for blocking the equipment, but just that it must “be secure and effective to prevent the machine from rolling.”

Last week, WV Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin formed a new commission to examine concerns about increased safety problems related to the boom in the natural gas business in West Virginia’s Marcellus Shale region. The governor had called for such a study six months earlier as part of this State of the State address in January.

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

Frack Worker Risk Warnings

OSHA Cites Antero Contractor After West Virginia Worker’s Death

From an Article by Jamison Cocklin, Natural Gas Intelligence, June 2, 2015

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a contractor that worked at an Antero Resources Corp. well site in Tyler County, WV, where a worker was killed last year when he was struck by a front-end loader.

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada,  Precision Drilling LP was cited for failure to provide a workplace “free from recognized hazards,” according to OSHA. The agency discovered the violations during an investigation after Ryan Dunn, 29, of Jackson County, WV was killed on site in November. The agency said Dunn was “struck by or caught between hazard from a front-end loader” as it was moving pipe, equipment and other supplies.

It was discovered that the equipment was being operated with “restricted rear visibility” in reverse and lacked a left-side rear-view mirror. In addition to that citation, OSHA also found that Precision failed to provide fall protection on site with an unguarded hole near a mud tank. The company was also cited for failing to provide or require its workers to wear respirators near the mud tank.

OSHA issued the citations in mid-May and proposed a penalty of $13,550. Precision was given an opportunity to contest the violations by the end of the month, but it is unclear whether they did. The company has not commented about the incident or OSHA’s findings.

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is soon expected to issue an executive order detailing requirements for a study to ensure better safety at oil and gas drilling sites after an increase in fatal accidents over the last decade with the rise in unconventional drilling in the state.

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OSHA Issues Alert on Non-Silica Fracking Hazards

Submitted by Jackson Lewis P.C., National Law Review, January 29, 2015

OSHA has issued an advisory on non-silica health and safety hazards in the hydraulic fracking industry.

OSHA said the purpose of its 41-page document, Hydraulic Fracturing and Flowback Hazards Other than Respirable Silica, is to inform employers and workers about the known hazards that result from hydraulic fracturing and flowback and to offer ways to reduce exposure to these hazards. It leaves discussion of silica-related hazards to publications previously released, including a joint OSHA-NIOSH hazard alert and an OSHA “infosheet.”

The agency makes clear the document does not impose additional legal or compliance obligations on employers beyond existing OSHA standards, regulations, and OSH Act’s general duty clause.

“Fracking” is a process that blasts through underground formations to release oil and natural gas. Flowback, the flow of fluids and hydrocarbons back out of the formations fractured by chemical- and sand-containing fluids, is part of the process. According to OSHA, some 35,000 wells are hydraulically fractured in the United States every year. Fracking is classified as a subsector of the oil and gas extraction industry. The industry experiences a higher fatality rate than most of U.S. general industry; however, no information is publicly available on worker injuries, illnesses, or fatalities connected specifically with fracking or flowback operations.

The OSHA publication, considered a guidance document by the agency, breaks down the fracking operation into three other hazard areas in addition to flowback: (1) transport, rig-up, and rig-down; (2) mixing and injection; and (3) pressure pumping. Each section of the publication on hazard areas includes a comprehensive set of hazard- reduction recommendations.

For instance, the flowback section explains that fluids and materials flowing back at very high pressures from the well may contain debris such as rocks and mud, plugs and other parts, toxic chemicals, oil, water, and sand. A variety of prevention strategies to deal with these pressures and with potentially flammable atmospheres are listed. A separate section suggests ways to prevent exposure to hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic chemicals. A lengthy matrix in an appendix breaks down the job of hydraulic fracking into its multiple steps with their associated hazards.

In an introductory section, OSHA offers pre-job planning advice that includes giving workers stop-work authority if unsafe conditions or practices exist. The agency also advises that “before beginning work, personnel should receive instruction in hazard recognition and safe work practices to reduce the chance of injury on the job site.” OSHA urges employers to develop injury and illness prevention programs.

Finally, a section is dedicated to worker rights, including the right to report injuries or raise safety and health concerns, along with a statement that employees have recourse to OSHA in the event of retaliation.

The full report is entitled “Hydraulic Fracturing and Flowback Hazards Other than Respirable Silica,” U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA 3763-12 2014.

See also the following OSHA reports on “silica sand” exposures to workers:

Silica: Silica Exposure during Hydraulic Fracturing InfoSheet, (OSHA 3622 – 2012) (English: PDF)

Silica: OSHA/NIOSH Hazard Alert – Worker Exposure to Silica during Hydraulic Fracturing, OSHA 3566 – 2012) (English: HTML PDF )

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

Marcellus Well Pad During Fracking

New study shows gas workers could be exposed to dangerous levels of benzene

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From an Article by Susan Phillips, NPR StateImpact-PA, August 28, 2014

A new study out this month reveals unconventional oil and natural gas workers could be exposed to dangerous levels of benzene, putting them at a higher risk for blood cancers like leukemia. Benzene is a known carcinogen that is present in fracking flowback water. It’s also found in gasoline, cigarette smoke and in chemical manufacturing. As a known carcinogen, benzene exposures in the workplace are limited by federal regulations under OSHA. But some oil and gas production activities are exempt from those standards.

The National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) worked with industry to measure chemical exposures of workers who monitor flowback fluid at well sites in Colorado and Wyoming. A summary of the peer-reviewed article was published online this month on a CDC website. In several cases benzene exposures were found to be above safe levels.

The study is unusual in that it did not simply rely on air samples. The researchers also took urine samples from workers, linking the exposure to absorption of the toxin in their bodies. One of the limits of the study includes the small sample size, only six sites in two states.

Dr. Bernard Goldstein from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health says the study is the first of its kind. Goldstein did not contribute to the study’s research, but he has conducted his own research on benzene. And he’s treated patients exposed to the carcinogen. “These workers are at higher risk for leukemia,” said Goldstein. “The longer, the more frequently they do this, the more likely they are to get leukemia particularly if the levels are high.”

The study looked at workers who use a gauge to measure the amount of flowback water that returns after a frack job is initiated. A spokeswoman for NIOSH says none of their studies draw any conclusions about exposures to nearby residents, but focus specifically on workers.

But Dr. Goldstein says it shows that there could be potential risks to residents as well. “We’re not acting in a way to protect the public who are at high risk,” said Goldstein. “And we can’t even tell you who is at high risk. Yet we’re rushing ahead in a situation where all of the data are telling us that there are risks.” He urges a similar study should take place in Pennsylvania.

“These are the kind of studies that should be done,” said Goldstein. “It should have been done a long time before this. They’re first being done now. They must be done in Pennsylvania.”

A spokeswoman for an industry group says there is always room for improvement if toxic exposures exist. “[The study represents] a small sample size,” said Katie Brown with the group Energy In Depth. “It is limited in that respect. I think that’s the whole reason for this partnership is to study it and see how [drillers] can improve.”

Authors of the NIOSH benzene study said that more research with larger sample sizes should be done, especially since there was so much variation in the levels observed at different times and well sites. The researchers also listed a number of recommendations for industry to take to reduce benzene levels on the job site. These include changing tank gauging procedures, training workers, limiting exposure times, carrying gas monitors, using respiratory and hand protection, and monitoring exposure levels.

SkyTruth FrackaThon Project Activities

It’s Better Together – Host a FrackFinder Event to Help Map Fracking

Article from SkyTruth Projects, March 22, 2014

As you may know, we’ve been working on Project FrackFinder–a multi-phase effort to map drilling and hydraulic fracturing using collaborative image analysis by citizen scientists like you.

Not sure you want to sort through FrackFinder tasks on your own? Enlist some friends and host a FrackFinder-A-Thon! On February 28th, the Shepherd University Environmental Organization participated in the first ever FrackFinder-A-Thon. They threw a pizza party and in only 2.5 hours, 15 people powered through 10,000 tasks!

The following week, a group of University of San Francisco students were visiting Appalachia on a spring break immersion trip. These Bay area students spent the day with us, FrackFinding and learning about skytruthing mining, drilling and other extractive industries. Take a listen to this WV Public Radio piece to learn more about their experience.

We need your help to finish the last 14% of tasks for Project Dart Frog. The sooner we do, the sooner Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School can start crunching numbers on their study of public health as it relates to fracking. Over 200 folks have contributed to the FrackFinder project so far, but we still need your help to keep things moving.

Need help in figuring out how to host your own FrackFinder-A-Thon at your school or in your community? Let us know– kristy@skytruth.org! We’d love to help you set one up.

Once Project Dart Frog concludes, we’ll embark on a new phase of group image analysis based upon YOUR findings.

Submitted by Duane Nichols, www.FrackCheckWV.net

Regulators have fined Jay-Bee Oil & Gas more than $73,000 after finding the same kinds of violations in Harrison County that inspectors found a year ago when they visited the site.  The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued 10 repeat citations, three serious citations and four other citations last week for problems at a drilling site near Salem.

“This company’s failure to correct previously cited violations means that it continues to place workers in harm’s way,” said Prentice Cline, director of OSHA’s Charleston area office. “It is vital that the company address these hazards to protect its employees.”

The repeat citations are based on an OSHA inspection conducted in February. They included the lack of guardrails or barricades around drilling pits, tripping hazards on walkways and the lack of first-aid equipment and training at the operation. OSHA inspectors also found that the company did not provide workers with required information or training about the hazardous materials used at the operation.

Jay-Bee Oil & Gas of Union, New Jersey,  has drilled dozens of wells in West Virginia.  The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, ask for an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

At least four workers have died at Marcellus Shale sites in Pennsylvania since 2008, including Kerry Duncan of Roane County, WV, who died on July 22nd. And, two of the three workers burned on February 10th at a Chesapeake drilling site in Washington County, PA, were West Virginians. In fact, there have been around 50 emergencies reported at Marcellus shale gas operations in Pennsylvania since 2008.  OSHA and the various companies of the natural gas industry are including safety training in many cases for their employees, given the dangerous nature of the work involved.