O&G bros trigger alert. Anyone who's driven through Luling sarcastically will say, "NO WAI!" I think the saying in Luling is that's the smell of money. Sure...cognitive dissonance is a great coping mechanism.
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/20/texas-oil-wells-hydrogen-sulfide-caldwell-county/
Study finds levels of a dangerous gas “off the scales” in Central Texas oilfield
The smell of oil wells has long permeated Caldwell County, near Austin and San Antonio. Now researchers have documented wells releasing dangerous amounts of hydrogen sulfide gas.
The first readings Abigail Edgar took of hydrogen sulfide and methane at oilfields in Caldwell County in 2021 were so high that she thought her equipment was malfunctioning.
“It was off the scales. Methane was off the scales and hydrogen sulfide was off the scales,” said Edgar, a master’s student in geography at Texas State University. “The monitor would immediately start beeping when I crossed the property line.”
Edgar was recording dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide at wells on private property in Caldwell County, 30 miles southeast of Austin. Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic and highly flammable gas often found in oil and gas formations. During the course of her research, the gas was so potent at three separate wells that Edgar’s respirator did not provide enough protection and she had to leave for her safety.
Edgar teamed up with University of Cincinnati environmental scientist Amy Townsend-Small, an expert on methane, to take another round of measurements in 2023. They found the wells were directly releasing gas — including hydrogen sulfide and methane — into the atmosphere in a process called venting. Some of the wells venting gas were alongside public roads. Others were next to backyards and driveways.
In a paper published in Environmental Research Communications last week, Edgar, Townsend-Small and other authors at Texas State University and the University of Maryland report hydrogen sulfide readings at 46 wells around Caldwell County. Hydrogen sulfide concentrations at 13 of the wells were at least 300 parts per million (ppm) — the maximum reading on the measuring device. Eight other sites had readings over 100 ppm. Exposure to 100 ppm of hydrogen sulfide is immediately dangerous to life or health, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The study warns these hydrogen sulfide levels are a hazard for people living and working in the area.
“Here in Texas we rely heavily on the oil industry and protect the oil industry. And I think rightfully so,” Edgar said. “But there has to be something done for these neighbors. We’re slowly poisoning these communities.”