At-A-Glance: Air Quality Study Facts

The Barnett Shale Energy Education Council (BSEEC) commissioned an ambient air quality study to provide the public with scientifically sound data and fact-based information surrounding air emissions in the Barnett Shale.

TITAN Engineering, Inc. (TITAN), an environmental engineering firm licensed in Texas and registered with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers conducted the study.

Results  (See entire fact sheet here)

• VOCs
  - No one-hour samples exceeded short-term AMCVs.
  - One 24-hour sample (collected at Mercer Ranch, the condensate-producing site) contained 1.96 ppb benzene, a concentrations slight greater than the long-term AMCV (1.4 ppb). This value is well below the ATSDR acute MRL for benzene (9 ppb).
• Reduced Sulfur Compounds
  - Hydrogen sulfide concentrations exceeded the short-term AMCV at two sites (EnCana Mercer Ranch and Devon Hyde-Hickman). TITAN determined that hydrogen sulfide originated from off-site sources at both locations.
  - Carbonyl sulfide was detected in excess of the odor-based AMCV levels at two sites (Chesapeake Leggett and Platt and Lake Arlington compressor station) (but well below the health-based AMCV level).
• Formaldehyde
  - Formaldehyde was not detected above the AMCV level at the Chesapeake Arc Park compressor station.
  - Formaldehyde concentrations exceeded the short-term AMCV in several samples at the Lake Arlington compressor station. TITAN determined that formaldehyde at this site originated from off-site sources.

Conclusion

Based on this study, TITAN concluded that natural gas sites in Fort Worth and Arlington District 2 expected to have the highest benzene emissions are not emitting harmful levels of benzene or other compounds tested.