Uncontained Gas Leak in Your Neighborhood?

Early January this year, I shared this article with those who had subscribed to my Hot Topics email list. I received letters from readers asking if I can post it on my site so that it could be shared via social sites. So here is a deviation from my regular post. Feel free to pass it on to whomever you think will find this information valuable.

It’s Being Called “The Worst Environmental Disaster Since BP”

Methane gas continues spewing, unchecked, into the air over southern California from a fractured well to an underground storage site  in Porter Ranch, CA— at such an alarming rate that low-flying planes have necessarily been diverted by the FAA, lest internal combustion engines meet highly volatile gas and, well, blow the entire area to hell.

Officials confirm this is the largest natural uncontained 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.

Besides radon, benzine, toluene, hydrogen sulfates, sulfur dioxide and xylene and lead, multiple types of radioactive material constantly being emitted from LA gas blowout.

Here is the latest article where doctors are publicly calling for residents to evacuate LA, Chatsworth, Northridge and Granada Hills area over toxic fumes from well leak.

According to Cyrus Rangan, director of the Toxics Epidemiology Program at  LA County’s Department of Public Health, “People are having very real responses, based on their own sensitivity” .

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”.

What Do SoCalGas Co and Public Health Department Say?

The receptionist for the toxicology department told me that infrared images or air samples are not collected beyond Porter Ranch area. She said that the gas is not an issue further from the site. It is the odor is the culprit in people feeling badly. She was told that as long as we have oxygen, methane will have NO negative side effects to us.

According to PublicHealth.lacounty.gov, methane is an odorless gas, and the primary health hazard associated with methane is its flammability. Methane inhalation in this setting generally does not lead to health effects. Methane level readings in Porter Ranch are substantially lower than flammable limits, and do not pose a health concern to residents in the area. At this time, the natural gas leak is releasing very low levels of mercaptans (odorants added so that a gas leak is easy to detect) into the air. Mercaptans have a strong “rotten-egg,” “garlicky,” or “skunk-like” odor and can be irritating to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system at low levels. In this incident, the levels are so low they can escape detection by most monitoring equipment, however individuals are capable of detecting these odors. These low level exposures may cause eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing and nasal congestion, shortness of breath, nausea, stomach discomfort, dizziness, and headaches.

I wonder if the department is funded by the SoCalGas co.

I have first hand experience with the public health office. They are not the biased source we are led to believe. Remember, they are the ones who endorse and force water fluoridation down our throats through municipal water source. They endorse other agency’s endorsements vs performing their own due diligence.

Although methane on its own isn’t poisonous, it has the potential to become poisonous when mixed with other substances.

Methane gas is relatively non-toxic; it does not have an OSHA PEL Standard. Its health affects are associated with being a simple asphyxiant because it can displace oxygen, which is needed for breathing.

BareFood Angel Recommendations?

• Call the Southern California Gas Company Relocation Info line at 877-238-9555 to ask for relief or relocation options if you know you are suffering from symptoms. They  limit relocation to immediate area residents. They are currently only taking requests from residents within 5 miles radius of the disaster. City attorney’s office has sought a restraining order to mandate SoCalGas relocate residents in the affected area within 48 hours of their request. I wonder if enough people who feel symptoms from surrounding areas contact the relocation department and the toxicology department, perhaps a new area will be considered for compensation and relocation should you need to take action in the future.
• Call LA Dept of Pubic Health Call Center 888-700-9995 and the toxicology department at 213-738-3220. Report any symptoms. Through getting tested, I am showing signs of toxic overload from a petrochemical. I live outside the 5 mile area where the SoCalGas Co. currently provide disaster relief. I just know my body so well and I am so in tune with it that I am able to pick up signs before they become larger problems and problems masked by other causes and symptoms.
• Dr. Cyrus Rangan, director of the Toxics Epidemiology Program at  LA County’s Department of Public Health, could be reached at 213-974-1234. I wasn’t able to reach him. If you are a physician and have data to report, he is the person to contact. He will most definitely want to talk with you.
• I am still researching but it seems like besides relocating if you live in very close proximity to the site, a proper carbon filter is what you’ll need to make your home a safer space whether you live within the site or close to it. Gas travels and doesn’t discriminate with direction and distance. You may qualify for the following:

• In-Duct Air Purifier.  SoCalGas is working with a licensed Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) contractor  to provide whole-house air purification by replacing the standard air filter(s) in your HVAC system with a specially designed activated carbon filter that can remove the compounds found in natural gas and its odorant from the air in your home.  In addition, the HVAC contractor will install a non-ozone generating air scrubber in the HVAC plenum.

• Plug-In Portable Air Purifiers.  SoCalGas will deliver   ARB-Certified plug-in portable air purification units that incorporate activated carbon/charcoal filters to remove the natural gas odorant from your home.

Here is one carbon filter that I recommend for purchase. HealthMate + is the type that is recommended for this type of situation. As transparency, I have affiliation with them.

Let’s have an open conversation about this. Make your comments below and share your thoughts, findings and solutions. Let’s help each other through this.

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Be aware and keep healthy.

To your health,

Caroline Your BareFood Angel

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