The bottom line is that these sites
"The bottom line is that these sites that were tested, which is the urban Fort Worth and Arlington area, is that the level of toxins is just very low," said Ed Ireland, spokesman for the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council.
The council hired Frisco-based energy consultant firm TITAN Engineering to perform the study of 10 area drilling sites. The group defended the hiring, saying the firm is independent and that the results of its work would directly reflect upon the engineering firm's reputation.
The ten drilling sites were not chosen at random, rather, TITAN chose the ten that should potentially produce the most emissions. Only one 24-hour sample at a single location, Encana Mercer Ranch in Fort Worth, slightly exceeded the state benzene level of 1.4 parts per billion by .56 parts per billion, the study found.
All levels were well within guidelines for safe long-term exposure, the report said.
"We are frequently in urban areas and almost any time you're indoors or in a motor vehicle, we're going to be at higher concentrations than that 1.4 … long term," said Janet Kester, a toxicologist who helped present the study to area business leaders Wednesday.
