Strong LNG industry would pose low risk to human health: report
Posted March 26, 2015 6:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The BC government is releasing the details of a report into any health effects should the LNG industry get up and running in Northern BC.
It shows a strong liquefied natural gas industry would pose low risk to human health.
The province has had the report since November. It took consultants two years to put together data and recommend changes to keep people safe if the LNG industry takes off. The report finds levels of harmful chemicals produced would not be high enough to cause harm.
People living in Northern BC reported in the first phase of the health impact study that they believed some health issues were linked to fracking activity. There are concerns south of the border about fracking fluid contaminating the water table.
Health Minister Terry Lake says BC’s regulations are much more robust. “This practice has been ongoing for decades here in British Columbia and of course the geology that we have in British Columbia is quite different than it is in other parts of North America where this has been more of a concern.”
He says one recommendation calls on oil and gas companies to report the ingredients of their fracking fluid to health authorities. “There is some proprietary information that’s protected. It’s important for instance, if there was a spill or ingestion of some type that medical professionals would have access to the specific mix of chemicals that are involved.”
The report makes 14 recommendations. Most of them involve better environmental monitoring. The province says it has accepted all of them.
