|
|
 |
|
|
Alabama residents complain of symptoms linked to mercaptanexposure. by 123wert sdfsf
|
|
|
Alabama residents complain of symptoms linked to mercaptanexposure. |
|
|
|
|
|
Business,Business News,Business Opportunities
|
|
Dozens of residents in Prichard's Eight Mile community havesought medical help due to symptoms they believe are related toexposure to mercaptan, the chemical that Mobile Gas spilled in the neighborhood in 2008. Complaints include nausea, dizziness, headaches, sore throats,confusion, weakness and eye irritation, said Rick Courtney, alawyer representing the community in a lawsuit against Mobile Gas.Courtney said that children, the elderly, and people with lungproblems such as asthma, seem to be the most severely affected. Highly pungent mercaptan is added to natural gas to aid in thedetection of leaks. The characteristic odor has permeated the EightMile community since November. Courtney said a member of his staff was overcome by similarsymptoms last week while working in the community.
TwoPress-Register reporters developed headaches after spending severalhours in the community last month, including in the area around a spring that has been identified asthe source of the odor . State and Mobile County officials were unsure of the possiblehealth effects related to exposure to the levels of mercaptan seenin the community. The Alabama Department of EnvironmentalManagement is awaiting data from air testing conducted by the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency. That should help understand thepotential exposure in the community, officials said.
Mobile Gas officials said testing by the company in the communityfound levels high enough to be detected by the human nose. "According to those preliminary findings and based ondiscussions with our experts, there have been no results from airmonitoring that would warrant any medical treatment," read astatement from Mobile Gas. Federal websites on mercaptan exposure describe the gas as"highly irritant when it contacts moist tissues such as theeyes, skin and upper respiratory tract. It can also induceheadache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting" and a host of othereffects, including confusion, tremors, seizures and a lack ofcoordination.
People with pre-existing impairment of the heart, lungs, nervoussystem or liver are more susceptible to exposure problems,according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry. Resident Debbie Parker complained of "irritation of ourthroats, burning of our eyes. We're having more frequentheadaches, loss of sleep," and other problems, she saidduring an interview with the Press-Register in March, beforecommunity members filed a lawsuit. "Nobody should have to live in this stuff.
Even the‘short-term exposure' symptoms are bad," saidCourtney. "The long-term exposure complex of symptoms wouldbe the same, squared." Courtney said he will be in court today[byr: 5/4 : ], fighting arequest by Mobile Gas to avoid turning over documents related tothe case. Other companies involved met an April 23 deadline set inMobile District Court. "Mobile Gas plans to ask for appropriate time to respond tothe request for documents pursuant to the Alabama Rules of CivilProcedure," read a company statement emailed to the newspaperThursday afternoon.
The 2008 spill happened at a Mobile Gas facility in Eight Milewhere mercaptan is stored and injected into the company'spipeline system. Gulf South Pipeline Co., which owns the propertywhere Mobile Gas spilled the chemical, turned over documents in thecase by the April 23 deadline. Among those documents was an email exchange between Mobile Gas andGulf South officials. Gulf South questioned why Mobile Gashadn't revealed the spill to the public, and informed thecompany that Gulf South officials planned to do so at a publicmeeting the following day. "We are trying to make sure we cooperate with everyone,whether it be Mobile Gas, the newspaper, ADEM, EPA.
We don'twant to be a roadblock," said Christie Simon, with GulfSouth. "Because they (Mobile Gas) are on our property, theyhave to communicate with us. We are making a very special effort toturn around anything that needs our review. We want to help theneighborhood and residents and get this resolved as quickly aspossible.". I am an expert from Agriculture, usually analyzes all kind of industries situation, such as caribbean black beans , scottish smoked salmon.
Related Articles -
caribbean black beans, scottish smoked salmon,
|
Rate This Article  |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you Agree or Disagree? Have a Comment? POST IT!
| Reader Opinions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Author Login |
|
|
 |
Advertiser Login
ADVERTISE HERE NOW!
Limited Time $60 Offer!
90 Days-1.5 Million Views
|
|
ALEX BELSEY
I am the editor of QUAY Magazine, a B2B publication based in the South West of the UK. I am also the...more
|
|
|
|
|
STEPHEN BYE
Stephen Bye is a fiction writer. His most recent novels are a 5-book “The Developer” series which be...more
|
|
|
|
|
PAUL PHILIPS
For more articles, blog messages & videos and a free e-book download go to www.NewParadigm.ws your p...more
|
|
|
|
|
TIM FAY
After 60-plus years of living, I am just trying to pass down some of the information that I have lea...more
|
|
|
|
|
LAURA JEEVES
At LeadGenerators, we specialise in content-led Online Marketing Strategies for our clients in the t...more
|
|
|
|
|
LEVAL AINAH
I am an internet marketer and also an educator. My goal is to help others who are looking to improve...more
|
|
|
|
|
GENE MYERS
Author of four books and two screenplays; frequent magazine contributor. I have four other books "in...more
|
|
|
|
|
ADRIAN JOELE
I have been involved in nutrition and weight management for over 12 years and I like to share my kn...more
|
|
|
|
|
MICHAEL BRESCIANI
Rev Bresciani is the author of two Christian books. One book is an important and concisely written b...more
|
|
|
|
