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On Feb. 13 Dept. Of Health, Penn State Project ECHO Held A Webinar To Educate Medical Professionals, Public On Exposures To Natural Gas Facility Pollution; Real Washington County CNX Facility Case Study Used

The state Department of Health and Penn State Project ECHO will host a February 13 webinar from Noon to 1:00 p.m. on Caring for Persons Living and Working in Communities Involved in Oil and Natural Gas Extraction.

Julie Miller from the state Department of Health will be presenting this topic which targets providers who practice in and around fracking operations in Pennsylvania and care for impacted residents and workers.

The program is designed for all health professionals, but the general public is also invited to participate.

The discussion will center on a challenge case presented by Dr. Ned Ketyer involving a family in Washington County experiencing “burning” rashes on the face, neck and chest, bloody noses, sore throats, headache and other symptoms.

The family lives 1,800 feet from a shale gas well pad and two days prior to the medical visit a gas pipeline pigging station 1,450 feet away from the family’s home starting venting gas that traveled toward the house.

The family was outside at the time and ran inside, but not before being exposed.

The objective of the webinar is to answer these questions--

-- What can providers do and say to alleviate patient fear and frustration in the face of chronic exposure to fracking?

-- What chronic health impacts should be monitored for based on these types of chemical exposures?

-- How can providers and health systems advocate for patients and communities when health and safety are threatened by the oil and gas industry?

Click Here for the slides outlining the challenge case.

Click Here for more information. Click Here to register.

Chick Here for a calendar of other upcoming Project ECHO educational programs.

Visit the Department of Health’s Oil and Natural Gas Production Health Concerns webpage for more resources for the public and health care providers.

Click Here to submit an Environmental Health Concern near you to the state Department of Health.

[Note: Although not named in the material, the case study being used involves pollution releases from the CNX Oak Springs Natural Gas Pipeline Pigging Station in South Franklin Township, Washington County.

[In December 2022, the facility released an estimated 1.1 million cubic feet of natural gas and hazardous air pollutants in a way that sounded like a jet plane.

[This same Station plagued the community with blowdowns releasing natural gas and liquid chemicals three times a day, seven days a week for nearly 10 years before Attorney General Shapiro successfully brought criminal charges against CNX for reporting violations. Read more here.

[The CEO of CNX gave a presentation to DEP’s Citizens Advisory Council on February 11 saying its “Radical Transparency” monitoring program shows “no material impact” to air or water quality from natural gas development. Read more here.]

Upcoming Event

-- Registration Now Open! 2025 Shale Gas & Public Health Conference At Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Online Feb. 27 [PaEN]

Resource Links:

-- Natural Gas Pipeline Pigging Facility Malfunction Dec. 27 Released 1.1 Million Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas; Same Facility Plagued Community With Blowdowns 3 Times A Day, 7 Days A Week For Nearly 10 Years Until Criminal Charges Brought Against CNX [PaEN]

-- CNX CEO Tells DEP’s Citizens Council Their Monitoring Shows ‘No Material Impact’ To Air Or Water Quality From Natural Gas Development; Citizens Said CNX Lacks Scientific Rigor, Offers Misleading Greenwash [PaEN]

-- State Dept. Of Health Apologizes For Not Listening To Communities Suffering Health Impacts From Shale Gas Development; New Health Study Results ‘Just The Tip Of The Iceberg’ [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Jan. 25 to Feb. 14 - Shale Gas Well Ordered Plugged After 8 Years; 20 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Shale Gas Well Leaking Gas For 23 Months And Counting [PaEN]

-- DEP: Southwestern Energy Prod Co. Failed To Comply With Act 2 Cleanup Standards At The Greenzweig Shale Gas Wastewater Impoundment In Bradford County After 5 Years [PaEN]

-- DEP Signs Consent Order With Roulette Oil & Gas To Plug Shale Gas Well Abandoned For 8 Years In Hebron Twp., Potter County [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - February 8 [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - February 15 [PaEN]