| A new report documenting the gaps in what we know about the effects of sour gas exposure on human health states that evidence suggests prolonged low-level exposure to sour gas is detrimental to human health, despite years of confusion and contrary claims.
The 237-page report, written by University of Calgary’s Dr. Sheldon Roth and Verona Goodwin, and sponsored partly by Alberta Environment, is a comprehensive look at the science of sour gas and its impact on health, and identifies the sometimes significant lack of data on an issue that has concerned Albertans for decades.
The report draws no conclusions, but points out that a need for greater understanding of the impact of sour gas has been expressed in many studies over the past 10 years.
Alberta Environment spokesperson David May says the report is simply a compendium of the knowledge gaps in the health impacts of sour gas, so it shouldn’t be viewed as a condemnation of the petroleum industry or government.
"If it had been titled ‘knowledge gaps’ rather than ‘health effects,’ I think everyone would have looked at it and said ‘Oh, OK,’" May says.
He adds that the study is useful in identifying where Alberta government research should be focused, and he denies that the government has dragged its feet on conducting its own research.
"There’s an animal health study that will be (completed) in 2005 and… once we see what comes out of the animal health study, we will be in a better position to proceed on human health," May says.
"The Alberta government shares the concerns and we know Albertans are concerned about sour gas.
"There’s no denying it and there’s no conspiracy."
Sour gas, or H2S, is present in about 30 per cent of Alberta’s natural gas wells, and is hazardous even in low concentrations. Industry’s handling of sour gas – including its practice of flaring, or burning off, excess gas – has been criticized for years, especially by rural Albertans who live near wells.
However, industry has often pointed to the fact that there is little documented scientific evidence to support those concerns.
The report documents those gaps in knowledge. For example, it states that there have been few studies into the impact of sour gas exposure on human reproduction – a concern that was central to eco-terrorist Wiebo Ludwig’s disgruntlement with Alberta’s oil industry and gave the problem a high profile in the province in the late 1990s.
The report also says there is evidence suggesting low-level exposure to sour gas does have health impacts, an issue which has been the subject of controversy for years in Alberta.
"There is evidence that cumulative health effects of repeated low-level H2S exposure exist, which does not support earlier claims that H2S is only an acute toxicant," the report states.
"It still remains a challenge to conclude what levels of exposure to H2S pose a health risk to the general population and the sensitive individual." |
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