1 month after oil & gas leak, CSU researchers share concerning level of toxins in air

By Dillion Thomas

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    DENVER, Colorado (KCNC) — More than one month after a Chevron oil and gas pad spewed a mixture of oil, gas and water into the sky around Galeton for several days, researchers say the toxins released into the community may be more concerning than initially reported by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Students and staff at Colorado State University say their testing showed a much higher level of toxins, such as benzene, in the air around Galeton than that which CDPHE and other researchers reported to the community.

Atmospheric Science researcher and professor Emily Fischer said her students have been conducting studies around air pollutants, which can impact public safety. So, when the Chevron pad started to spray oil and gas into the air, CSU’s team of students responded to the community of Galeton to begin testing.

“It is important to understand what people nearby may be exposed to,” Fischer said.

Driving a white Chevy Tahoe outfitted with research equipment, the CSU team drove into the path of the plume that sprayed for several days in Weld County.

“It was very easy for our team to identify the plume and take samples of it,” Fischer said, noting how potent the toxins in the air were both by smell and by levels in their research.

Using canisters, the team stopped on the edge of the plume and conducted studies along the one-to-two-mile-long evacuation radius.

“The smell was so strong they didn’t open the canister in the middle of the plume, they opened it on the edge of the plume,” Fischer said.

The team was able to bring the canisters to their foothills campus in western Fort Collins, where they tested them for dozens of toxins. Many were identified, but the most potent was benzene.

“Inside that plume was a real soup of air toxins,” Fischer said.

During the response to the leak, prior to it being capped, CDPHE and the responding agencies reported benzene levels that were not of great concern to human health.

However, CSU’s team found a different set of data that showed, in some places, the benzene levels were two to three times greater than that which was being reported to residents.

“We shared our results immediately with CDPHE,” Fischer said.

While not a medical expert, Fischer noted that extended exposure to such levels of benzene can result in medical issues including headaches, dizziness, and more.

“If that plume had been lingering over a home for more than an hour, then it is very likely that it would have caused an exceedance of the health guideline value for acute benzene exposure,” Fischer said.

In a written statement issued to CBS News Colorado on Tuesday, May 13, Chevron said 10 of the 14 homes that were evacuated due to extended exposure near the leak were still not occupied due to continued cleanup. That number was expected to decrease in the coming week.

Crews were seen surrounding the nearby homes. Nearly all of the crews were wearing white full-body suits, hats, and masks. They were seen scrubbing the walls of homes, windows, fences, doors, and more.

A spokesperson for Chevron said they were paying to cover the cleaning of more than one dozen properties. A mixture of degreasing chemicals and water was being used on the physical property. A mixture of Dawn detergent and water was being used to clean vegetation. Dirt around the pad was being removed as part of the cleanup process. Many homes appeared to have been repainted as well.

While CDPHE declined to interview for this report, a spokesperson issued statements describing their efforts to not only monitor the air quality during the response but also in the weeks following.

The spokesperson said the department’s research did not find the same level of toxins as those in which CSU’s did. They acknowledged that they received their data and were in the process of reviewing it. However, they also noted that they believe the testing from both agencies couldn’t be directly compared as equal samples.

The statement continued to say that CDPHE’s testing was conducted for more than one hour at a time in each location, noting that CSU’s team was more likely to collect a sample quickly and move on to another location.

CDPHE said they will continue to receive and review data collected by testing agencies, including CSU, and use it in their research.

Chevron’s team said they have already conducted more than 3,000 air tests and will continue to monitor the air quality moving forward as cleanup continues around Galeton.

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