Are there elevated benzene levels in North Texas?
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) conducted three days of air quality sampling at 126 natural gas wells in Fort Worth in December 2009. The agency said these preliminary tests showed no evidence that the wells released benzene and other hazardous chemicals. Samples were tested for 22 chemicals, including benzene and other carcinogens. Other tests done by TCEQ have shown evidence of chemicals being released at rural well sites where there are storage tanks for condensate. Such “wet” wells are primarily in the far northwestern part of Tarrant County; Denton, Wise and Parker counties and further north and west. Tanks that emit high levels of chemical compounds are required to have vapor recovery units that reduce emissions. Do natural gas wells produce benzene? Benzene levels in dry gas wells (gas wells that do not produce oil or condensate) are extremely minute, comprising less than .001% (one one-thousand of one percent) of the compounds that make up methane. Natural
