Fracking contamination is on the rise in the United States. When oil and gas companies operate in America and the nearby environment ends up contaminated and damaged, surrounding land and home owners can expect to see their property values drop significantly.

Large energy corporations, with hundreds of hydraulic fracturing (Fracking) sites, are responsible for thousands of environmental infractions each year, causing millions of dollars in damages to properties nationwide.

According to a study by the Wall Street Journal, there are over one million active oil and gas wells in the United States, and more than 15 million Americans now live within a mile of many of them.

Toxic chemical leaks, oil spills, groundwater contamination, soil contamination, unsightly drilling equipment and noise pollution due to fracking activity account for the majority of property value loss claims.

Realtors around the country note that buyers are very hesitant to purchase homes near fracking sites. However, oil and gas companies are not taking responsibility for damages to property unless fracking contamination lawsuits are filed against them.

It is unfortunate that legal action is necessary, but not surprising given that the large energy corporations responsible are placing profit before environmental concerns. Any property owner with real estate negatively affected by fracking activities may have a claim against regional businesses.

Fracking Pollution Lawsuits

Several large companies are responsible for drilling wells and managing fracking operations in the United States. They are not always cognizant of the dangers their employees face on work sites, and do not properly protect workers to the best of their ability.

When employers put profit ahead of worker safety, they can be found negligent when fracking injuries occur, or when environmental damage negatively affects property values.

Hydraulic fracturing is a complex process that involves many different companies, responsible for the technology, transportation of materials, chemical manufacturing and transport, land maintenance, and distributors of the end product.

When they fail to protect workers, and when fracking causes irreparable environmental damage, they should compensate employees and property owners for the damage they have caused.

Workers at fracking sites nationwide who have developed health issues may have claims against the product manufacturers or company responsible for the worksite that created the dangerous condition leading to the injury.

Industrial Pollution & Illness

Benzene Exposure Feared in Residential Communities from Fracking Pollution. Contamination leads to AML and MDS cases. 

Ohio and other states with fracking potential have been dealing with the environmental consequences of lucrative oil and gas production. Recently, a Colorado family, with a reported 158 fracking wells within a one-mile radius of their home and children’s school, are questioning how they can live a healthy lifestyle when toxins like benzene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene are polluting their bodies and home.

A six-year-old boy has tested positive for benzene exposure in Erie, Colorado, due to fracking pollution surrounding them most of the day and night. Their health is seriously compromised, and it is clear what is causing the issue.

Oil and gas companies like to downplay the risks of their energy harvesting, though at the same time, studies have told the real story for years: Benzene and other chemicals used in the fracking process are known cancer-causing agents, and fracking pollution is a serious threat to public health.

In the case of the Colorado exposure, a doctor conducted a volatile organic compounds (VOC) blood level test on the aforementioned boy and showed he is in the 85th percentile for benzene and two other cancer-causing chemicals—ethylbenzene and o-xylene. The family has alerted the media, as well as the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, though legal action may be the only course to ultimately compensate the family for the past and future damage of the benzene exposure.

Fracking Contamination May Cause Cancer

Benzene is a naturally-occurring part of crude oil and gasoline and is known by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as a likely carcinogen.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, more than 80,000 oil and gas wells in Ohio were stimulated with hydraulic fracturing from the 1950s to 2014. In 2020 the energy industry shows no sign of slowing.

Benzene can cause the bone marrow not to produce enough red blood cells, leading to anemia, as well as damage the immune system by changing blood levels of antibodies and the loss of white blood cells.

The health effects of Benzene on a child can be even more perilous, and a major cause for concern for those living near fracking sites. Recent studies suggest links to childhood leukemia (Acute Myeloid Leukemia), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and other blood-related cancers like multiple myeloma and lymphoma in adults.

If you or a loved one has suffered an illness due to fracking pollution or Benzene Exposure and have questions about the legal remedies available to improve quality of life and medical care, contact The Lyon Firm. You will speak directly with Mr. Lyon, and he will help you answer critical questions regarding fracking pollution.