politifact check 5/7/11State Rep. Rick Hardcastle says benzene has never been proven to be harmfulDuring House debate, state Rep. Rick Hardcastle brushed off a colleague’s concerns about benzene emissions near Texas schools. "Are you aware benzene is also a compound in soap?" Hardcastle said April 28. "Found at every car wash in this state — and several other industries in this state? And it’s never been proven to be harmful."
The Vernon Republican was opposing an amendment by Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, that would prohibit the Oil and Gas Commission from issuing drilling permits for gas wells within 1,200 feet from a public school unless they meet a set of conditions, including installing emission controls and ensuring certain pollutants, such as benzene, fall below certain concentrations.
(snip)
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokesman Terry Clawson told us that benzene is harmful depending on its concentration in air and how long someone is exposed to it. "Typical outdoor concentrations" of benzene, less than one part per billion, are "much lower than concentrations that have been shown to cause harmful effects in people," he said. But exposure to higher concentrations, tens of thousands of parts per billion, over a period of many months to years "has been shown to cause harmful effects on blood," he said. Longer exposures, over many years, have "been shown to cause leukemia in workers," he said.
(snip)
A 2009 EPA summary says that some studies, such as those gauging links between childhood exposure to benzene and childhood cancer, are equivocal. A 2001 study found a connection between Hodgkins lymphoma and young children who lived in high-traffic ares with higher concentrations of benzene during pregnancy or early childhood, while a 2002 study found no connection between childhood cancer rates and benzene concentrations in high-traffic neighborhoods.
Closer to home, a 2010 study by researchers at the University of Texas and the Texas Department of State Health Services found that women living in Texas neighborhoods with high levels of benzene (more than 3 micrograms per cubic meter of air) were more likely to bear children with spinal bifida — a serious birth defect that can cause paralysis and neurological disorders.
(snip)
It’s true that benzene is a common air pollutant and is found in everyday products such as detergents. But to claim that airborne benzene has not been proven harmful flies in the face of scientific evidence that long-term exposure in the workplace can cause cancer and other negative health effects — not to mention studies suggesting lower levels of environmental exposure may also be unsafe.
Pants on Fire. Moron republican Hardcastle. If Benzene is so safe, why don't you move your home to one of these areas drilling for gas wells. Make sure one of them is in your back yard. We'll check back with you in 2-5 years in case you're still alive. :puke:
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
