PA Department of Health Announces Blood Disorder Study in Southwestern Pennsylvania
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/department-of-health-announces-blood-disorder-study-in-southwestern-pennsylvania-97667524.html
Department of Health Announces Blood Disorder Study in Southwestern Pennsylvania
Residents with Polycythemia Vera in Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Somerset Counties Encouraged to Participate
HARRISBURG, Pa., July 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Pennsylvania Department of Health today announced a new, federally-funded study on the blood disorder Polycythemia vera, or PV, in Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Somerset counties.
Residents of these counties who were diagnosed with PV between 2001 and 2008 are eligible to participate in the study and will be compensated.
PV is a blood disorder that causes bone marrow to produce too many red blood cells, resulting in what is commonly referred to as “thick blood.” People with PV can sometimes be at increased risk for blood clots, heart attack or stroke. However, there are other disorders that also result in an excess of red blood cells. The other disorders are referred to as secondary polycythemia. It may be difficult to distinguish PV from the other disorders.
The purpose of the new study is to evaluate the information the department receives from the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry on people who have been diagnosed with PV. Persons asked to take part in the study are those with PV reported to the state cancer registry as well as those identified by local physician offices.
A 2008 study of PV in Carbon, Luzerne and Schuylkill counties in northeast Pennsylvania found a greater number of PV cases than would ordinarily be expected in the three-county area. However, the investigation also showed that some of the cases reported to the state cancer registry as PV were inaccurate, and some cases of PV had never been reported at all. This problem made it difficult to accurately determine the prevalence of PV in the area. It is important to know whether similar PV diagnosis problems exist in other parts of the state.
The four-county area in the southwestern part of the state was chosen because it shares many similar features with the tri-county area of northeast Pennsylvania; not because there appears to be an excess of PV. The similarities include population size, geography and environment.
To help diagnose PV, patients who agree to participate will be interviewed about their health, medical history and environmental exposures. They will also have a blood sample collected to look for the presence of a genetic marker known as JAK2 in their blood cells. More than 90 percent of patients confirmed with PV have the JAK2 genetic marker in their blood cells. Results of the JAK2 test will be available to the patient and their doctor, but will otherwise be kept confidential.
The Department of Health is working with the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health to carry out the study. All PV patients in the four-county area who are listed in the state cancer registry and those identified through area physicians will be contacted by the University of Pittsburgh and asked to take part in the study. A nurse representative from the University of Pittsburgh will visit the participant’s home to administer the survey and collect a blood sample. Knowing the JAK2 marker is present may help a doctor to more carefully monitor a patient’s blood counts.
For more information on PV or the 2008 study of the northeast Pennsylvania tri-county area, visit http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/polycythemia_vera/index.html.
To learn about the University of Pittsburgh’s upcoming study on PV or to find out about participating in the study, please contact Dr. Paula A. Balogh, FNP, of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health at 412-623-5901 or e-mail pvstudy@pitt.edu.
Media contact: Holli Senior, 717-787-1783
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Health
Three events coming up at Lehigh Gap Nature Center
Dear Members and Friends of Lehigh Gap Nature Center,
We have three events coming up at LGNC.
Saturday, July 3 — Incredible Insects, Join us from 9:00 a.m. to noon as we search the refuge for beautiful butterflies and dynamic dragonflies and damselflies. We will visit the ponds and the grasslands as well as the gardens at the Osprey House in search of these insects, learning about their life cycles, ecology, and identification along the way.
Saturday, July 10 — Members’ Picnic. This is a potluck picnic — everyone bring some food to share — for members and guests. The event begins at 5:00 p.m with an open house for the new visitor and education center which is nearly complete. We’ll have dinner around 6:00, and then tour the new habitat gardens and Brandon Everett’s habitat project under the power lines. This will be the first official group in the new building.
Friday, July 16 — Opening Celebration. Beginning at 10:00 a.m we will open the doors of the new building to the public for the first time. At 11:00, there will be a dedication ceremony for our new energy efficient, “green” buildling.
Hope to see you soon at the Gap.
Dan
Dan Kunkle
Lehigh Gap Nature Center
P.O. Box 198
Slatington, PA 18080
ph/fax 610-760-8889
http://lgnc.org
Marcellus shale well accident reinforces need to guard water quality
http://live.psu.edu/story/47244/nw69
Monday, June 21, 2010
University Park, Pa. — The recent eruption of a Marcellus shale gas well in Clearfield County, Pa., has triggered investigations by state agencies. A Penn State Cooperative Extension water specialist said it also should remind Pennsylvanians that drilling can impact surrounding water resources, and well owners near any drill sites should take steps to monitor their drinking water.
The contaminated water spewed by the natural-gas well for more than 15 hours may have entered a local aquifer. Bryan Swistock, senior extension associate in the School of Forest Resources, said the state Department of Environmental Protection will probably check local streams for contamination, but it may be prudent for water-well owners living near the spill to have an independent laboratory test their well water. He said the tests for various contaminants have a range of costs and implications.
“Things like methane, chloride, total dissolved solids and barium are very good indicators and are relatively inexpensive to test for — most labs can do them,” Swistock explained. “When you move down into the organic chemicals that might be used in fracturing, the cost to test for them goes way up. The risk is much less for those, typically, so it’s not quite as important, but again, if you can afford to do that testing, that’s great.”
The Department of Environmental Protection ordered a contractor hired by the gas-well owner to stop some of its work in the state, hand over equipment records and provide access to employees as DEP investigates the equipment used by the company.
“They haven’t determined how the blow-out happened, but it appears that it allowed a lot of gas and hydrofracturing fluid to escape on the ground into nearby streams,” Swistock said. “That reinforces how important it is for people who live near natural-gas drilling to document their water quality before the drilling, so that if any incidents do occur, you can prove they happened. And that includes testing of wells, streams, ponds and any water resources that you’re concerned about before the drilling occurs.
“It’s hard to document anything if you don’t have any pre-existing data,” he added. “It’s important that homeowners have an unbiased expert from a state-certified lab conduct the tests, in case the sample results are needed for legal action.”
Water forced into subterranean pockets as part of the drilling process dissolves many chemicals out of the rock, Swistock said, and may gather large amounts of iron, calcium, magnesium, strontium and barium, and small amounts of arsenic and lead. There also are enormous amounts of sodium and chloride as water dissolves chemicals left behind by ancient sea water.
Swistock said balancing frequency of testing with the proximity of the drilling activity is an individual decision for each well owner.
“Fracking is a very intensive industrial activity, and these kinds of incidents are going to happen,” he said. “They don’t happen very often if we look at the history of the industry, but people have to decide on their own how concerned they are and how much testing they want to go through. Certainly, water supplies within 1,000 feet of the drilling are considered at higher risk. Beyond that, it’s up to the homeowner to decide. If some people 5,000 feet away are concerned and want to get testing done, that’s really their choice.”
About 3.5 million Pennsylvanians get their water from private wells and springs, according to Swistock. He said residents who want more information on Marcellus shale gas exploration can find it online at Penn State Cooperative Extension’s Natural Gas website at http://extension.psu.edu/naturalgas/.
Take Actions this Summer to Reduce Exposures to Asthma Triggers
EPA News Release (Region 3): Take Actions this Summer to Reduce Exposures to Asthma Triggers
Contact: Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543, smith.bonnie@epa.govs
Take Actions this Summer to Reduce Exposures to Asthma Triggers
PHILADELPHIA (June 16, 2010) – – Now that the summer heat is here it’s a good time to pay attention to your local air quality. Like the weather, air quality can change from day to day or even hour to hour and it can affect how you live and breathe.
When the summer heat builds, ground-level ozone levels increase – – and ground-level ozone, often called smog, is a contributor to the onset or the exacerbation of an asthma attack. Ground-level ozone makes people more sensitive to allergens and asthma triggers such as airborne particles and dust. During the summer hospital admissions and emergency room visits increase do to an increase in asthma related symptoms.
“While EPA’s clean air regulations have improved air quality bringing us all cleaner air,” said
Shawn M. Garvin, mid-Atlantic regional administrator. “It’s important for people with asthma, especially children, to know the warning signs of an asthma attack and to take steps they can take to protect themselves.”
Not only can the air outside effect your health, pollutants inside your home and workplace can also be extremely serious for people with asthma. Asthma can be life-threatening, but this respiratory disease can be managed. Asthma sufferers can lead active lives by educating themselves on how the environment can affect them and taking action to reduce or remove asthma triggers.
In addition to talking with your health care provider, these steps can help prevent asthma attacks:
• Play it safe. Ground-level ozone and particle pollution can exacerbate an asthma attack. Look for the Air Quality Index (AQI) during the local weather report or go to EPA’s website http://www.airnow.gov/. AQI uses a color- coded system to display whether the five major air
• pollutants exceed air quality standards for the day. When AQI reports unhealthy levels, people should limit strenuous outdoor activities, particularly asthmatics and others with respiratory aliments.
• Don’t smoke in the home. Take it outside. One of the most common asthma triggers in the home is second- hand smoke. People should smoke outside – – not inside the home or in the car. Take the smoke-free home pledge; http://www.epa.gov/smokefree.
• Break the mold. Mold is another asthma trigger. The key to controlling mold is controlling moisture. Wash and dry hard surfaces to prevent and remove mold. Remove, and if possible replace, all moldy ceiling tiles or carpet. For more tips see EPA’s website: http://www.epa.gov/asthma/molds.html
For more information on EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional asthma program and ways to reduce your asthma triggers go to: http://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/asthma/asthma.htm
You also can join the On-line Community in Action for Asthma-Friendly Environments Network at www.asthmacommunitynetwork.org to learn about community-based organizations with information, resources, and strategies to accelerate improvements in asthma care.
Vigilance vital as gas boom envelops region
http://thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/editorials-columns/guest-columnists/vigilance-vital-as-gas-boom-envelops-region-1.843336
Vigilance vital as gas boom envelops region
Published: June 13, 2010
Natural gas will soon be the new anthracite coal for our region. Significant drilling is taking place in Bradford, Susquehanna and Wyoming counties, exploratory drilling has begun in Wayne County, several wells are planned for Luzerne County, and northern Lackawanna County probably won’t be far behind.
We’ve done – and will continue to do – a lot of reporting on the pros and cons of the natural gas industry. We will continue to advocate for tougher environmental standards and for a severance tax on the gas extracted.
We also feel that it’s important to get the gas industry’s perspective, and to get a better understanding of the drilling process. So we visited with officials of Chesapeake Energy in Bradford County and toured one of its active drilling rigs.
Matt Sheppard, Chesapeake’s senior director of corporate development and government affairs, and Brian Grove, director of corporate development, met us in Towanda and presented an overview of the development and production process for a natural gas well site.
The presentation reinforced that the industry will be a fixture here for decades. Conservative estimates call for a successful gas well to produce for 30 years. Some wells elsewhere continue to produce for decades more.
The drill sites are substantial. The well pad is 300 by 400 feet with a tower over 90 feet tall. The pad and supporting equipment, tanks and trailers cover about three acres initially. The tower, I was surprised to discover, has little to do with the actual drilling. It is 90-feet high because the drilling pipe is added in 90-foot increments, so the tower basically acts as a crane to raise the pipe into place over the well.
During the drilling period, which typically lasts 25 to 35 days, drilling is continuous , with a five-man crew and a supervisor always on site.
The safety and groundwater protection systems are impressive. No manmade system is perfect, but according to Mr. Sheppard and Mr. Grove, Chesapeake is doing its best to come close, and it exceeds industry and state Department of Environmental Protection standards.
Each well is equipped with a blowout preventer – a device made famous in the tragic BP accident that continues to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Sheppard and Mr. Grove are quick to point out that gas drilling is different from oil drilling – particularly off-shore drilling. Oil rigs have the same type of blowout preventer as natural gas rigs with one major difference: for a natural gas well, the blowout preventer is at ground level, 30 feet beneath the main rig platform; BP’s rig had a blowout preventer on the seafloor nearly a mile below. When the BP blowout preventer failed, there was no easy way to access the area.
On land wells, to protect groundwater, there are three rings of steel casing, with two rings of high-grade cement between them, surrounding the drill bore. This is to prevent any breach of the well where groundwater may be found.
The most controversial part of well-drilling is the hydraulic fracturing – or “fracking” – process. The gas is contained within the shale rock itself, so the rock must be fractured to release the gas. For this process, water is mixed with sand and pumped into the well under high pressure. The sand acts as tiny wedges to hold open the small fissures created in the rock to release the gas. Water and sand make up 99.5 percent of the fracking mixture. The other 0.5 percent is a mixture of 12 other chemicals, which are listed on Chesapeake’s website (see www.chk.com/media/pages/mediaresources.aspx and click on “Hydraulic Fracturing Fact Sheet”).
During the fracking period, which can last for several days, Chesapeake uses 5.6 million gallons of water per day. So, while 0.5 percent seems like a small amount, it’s actually 28,000 gallons of chemicals per day. At issue is how much of each of the 12 chemicals is actually used (specific chemical mixtures are considered proprietary and not disclosed) and what compounds do the combinations of these chemicals create. Compounds created by the combination of chemicals would have different properties and therefore a different effect on the environment if leaked.
Most of the fracking mixture (about 4.9 million of the 5.6 million gallons) remains in the porous Marcellus shale. The remaining 700,000 gallons returns to the surface in a “closed loop” system that then recycles the water and separates the chemicals for disposal.
Once the well is producing gas, the rig and most equipment are removed, and the gas goes directly into a pipeline system for sale to market. The well site is reduced from 3 to 1.5 acres.
Anthracite coal defined our region for generations. It’s the primary reason many of our ancestors came to this area. It left us with a powerful industrial history and beautiful architecture built on the wealth generated by coal, but it also left us with significant scars and environmental damage that we still deal with today, 50 years after most coal mining ended.
How can we ensure that our area benefits from the gas industry without being left years from now with environmental (and therefore economic) fallout? Any industrial process will create byproducts, some of which may be harmful. The key to protecting our environment isn’t eliminating the process, but ensuring oversight and accountability.
Natural gas will bring enormous amounts of money and jobs into our region. In coming years, despite the best safety systems that will be put in place, accidents will happen and the environment and groundwater will be put at risk. Hopefully, federal, state and local governments will have the laws and resources in place to deal with them effectively and protect our natural resources.
GEORGE LYNETT is publisher of The Times-Tribune. E-mail: publisher@timesshamrock.com.
Act now on new drilling regulations
http://citizensvoice.com/opinion/our-voice-act-now-on-new-drilling-regulations-1.841199
Our Voice: Act now on new drilling regulations
Published: June 13, 2010
The state Department of Environmental Protection’s assurances last week that the gas companies with drilling leases next to local reservoirs will be “very careful” not to spoil the source of our drinking water is not very, well, reassuring.
It is hard to have much trust in the energy industry while plumes of offshore oil taint the Gulf of Mexico, chemicals from gas drilling foul drinking wells in Susquehanna County and a well blowout in Clearfield County spews polluted water over prime forest land.
That same industry now holds leases to drill for gas in Marcellus Shale deposits within 100 feet of the Huntsville and Ceasetown reservoirs, which supply drinking water to 100,000 people in Luzerne County.
It is nothing short of shocking that there is no state law on the books forbidding gas drilling adjacent to a source of drinking water and no requirement that water suppliers be notified of leases so close to their reservoirs.
Still the Great Gas Rush continues as energy companies hurry to “drill here, drill now” while the Pennsylvania General Assembly stalls on putting proper regulations, inspections and taxes in place.
Our representatives in Harrisburg must act with more urgency to craft new rules for gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale deposits that underlie most of the state, and, if necessary, slow or completely halt the issuing of drilling permits until those rules can be enforced.
The public can’t count on the carefulness of energy companies to preserve our environment and water resources. That is why we have regulations. And in the case of Marcellus Shale drilling, Pennsylvania needs more of them.
Whip-poor-will Hike and Summer Camp at LGNC
Dear Members and Friends of Lehigh Gap Nature Center,
ON Saturday evening, June 12 we will host our annual Whip-poor-will Hike beginning at 6:00 p.m. This hike is led by Jim Gabovitz of the Allentown Hiking Club and Bob Hoopes of LGNC. We begin by spotting cars at the end point, then hike up the mountain and arrive at the towers on the summit of the ridge in time for sunset. After that, we hike down Translater Lane in the moonlight listening for Whip-poor-wills.
THis is a 6 mile hike that ascends the mountain — a one thousand foot elevation gain. The trail ascends gradually in most p;laces but is rocky and steep for short sections. The trails winds through our re-vegetated grasslands, forest, and the natural savanna on top of the ridge.
There is a chance of rain, so be prepared in case of a shower. The hike will be cancelled if thunderstorms (lightning) are imminent. That decision will be made at the trailhead.
This is a spectacular hike and a fun event. Whip-poor-wills have become less common in recent decades but are still common on the Kittaitnny Ridge near Lehigh Gap. Meet at the Osprey House at 6:00 p.m.
###
There are still a few opening in our Young Ecologists Summer Camp. Any student that just finished 6th or 7th grade is eligible. The camp runs daily from 9:00 to 3:00 from June 28 to July 2.
If anyone is interested in the camp, please contact me at this email address or at the phone number below.
Dan
Dan Kunkle
Lehigh Gap Nature Center
P.O. Box 198
Slatington, PA 18080
ph/fax 610-760-8889
http://lgnc.org
Public meeting scheduled on Palmerton zinc pile site
http://www.tnonline.com/node/105589
Public meeting scheduled on Palmerton zinc pile site
Reported on Wednesday, June 9, 2010
By TERRY AHNER tahner@tnonline.com
Those with environmental concerns over the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund Site will soon have a platform to express their viewpoints.
A public meeting to comment on the Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the site will be held at 7 p.m. June 15 at Palmerton Area High School.
The Plan will be presented, followed by a question-and-answer period. Representatives from the Trustee agencies will be present.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on behalf of the Department of the Interior, the Department of Commerce, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, invites the public to comment on the Plan.
The Plan evaluates alternatives to restore natural resources injured at the Site, and describes the restoration actions that are proposed as compensation to the public for losses resulting from those injuries.
The alternatives are described in the context of a settlement agreement with the parties responsible for contamination of the assessment area. All interested parties are invited to submit comments on the Plan.
The Plan is available for review at the Palmerton Area Library. Requests for copies of the Plan may be made to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pennsylvania Field Office, Attention Kathleen Patnode, 315 South Allen Street, Suite 322, State College, PA 16801.
A 30-day public comment period will be held through July 15. Written comments or materials regarding the Plan should be sent to the same address. Comments may also be sent via email to Kathleen_Patnode@fws.gov.
Pennsylvania nat gas well capped after blowout
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0414919620100604
Fri Jun 4, 2010 5:36pm EDT
Pennsylvania nat gas well capped after blowout
* No one injured, no homes evacuated
* Well was being drilled in the Marcellus Shale
* Lawmaker renews call for tighter regulation on fracking
* EOG Resources is “investigating everything” -spokeswoman
By Jon Hurdle
PHILADELPHIA, June 4 (Reuters) – Workers capped a natural gas well in central Pennsylvania on Friday after it ruptured during drilling, spewing gas and drilling fluid 75 feet (23 meters) in the air, officials said.
The well, operated by EOG Resources Inc (EOG.N) in a remote area of Clearfield County, blew out at about 8 p.m. EDT (midnight GMT) on Thursday when a drilling team “lost control” of the well while preparing to extract gas, according to a statement from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
No one was killed or injured, and there were no evacuations because there are no homes within a mile (1.6 km) of the drill site but nearby roads were closed, and emergency management officials declared a no-fly zone around the site. Read more
Drinking water workshop planned in Pottstown
http://www.pottsmerc.com/articles/2010/06/02/news/doc4c066a9ec9b9d304913037.txt
Drinking water workshop planned in Pottstown
Published: Wednesday, June 02, 2010
By Mercury staff
POTTSTOWN — A free workshop on how better to protect drinking water sources from contamination will be held Thursday, June 24, at Pottstown Middle School.
Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Southeast Region, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania’s Water Resources Education network, the Montgomery County Conservation District, Montgomery County Planning Commission, Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, Schuylkill Action Network, PA Rural Water Association, Pennsylvania Amaerican Waterworks Association and Penn State Cooperative Extension, the workshop will be held at the middle school, 600 N. Franklin St., from 1 to 4:45 p.m.
To preregister visit www.drinkingwaterwise.org or contact Julie Kollar at 267-468-0555.