Is There A Reason Why North Dakota Refuses To MONITOR AIR

Appears Texas monitors air quality.
http://www.caller.com/news/2010/oct/15/tceq-fines-101610/
291,649, air violations, investigated June 18, 2008-Feb. 27, 2009; April 29, 2009-July 17, 2009; Jan 7, 2009-April 22, 2009; for failure to prevent the unauthorized release of more than 36.7 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 298 pounds of hydrogen sulfide, 121 pounds of carbon monoxide, 260 pounds of volatile organic compounds, 21 pounds of nitrogen oxide and 20 pounds of ammonia from the sulfur recovery unit on May 20, 2008; to prevent the unauthorized release of more than 15,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 166 pounds of hydrogen sulfide, 17 pounds of carbon monoxide and 0.5 pounds of volatile organic compounds and 3 pounds of nitrogen oxide from the sulfur recovery unit on July 22, 2008; to submit the final report for an incident in a timely manner; to prevent the unauthorized release of more than 8 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 87 pounds of hydrogen sulfide, 130 pounds of carbon monoxide, 326 pounds of volatile organic compounds, 18 pounds of nitrogen sulfide and 25 pounds of ammonia from the sulfur recovery unit on Dec. 15, 2008; to prevent the unauthorized release of more than 119,100 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 1,200 pounds of hydrogen sulfide, 8,200 pounds of carbon monoxide, 12,500 pounds of volatile organic compounds, 1,200 pounds of nitrogen oxide and 219 pounds of ammonia from four flares
6,000, air violation, investigated Sept. 29, 2009,-Dec. 18, 2009, for failure to prevent the unauthorized release of more than 13,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 760 pounds of hydrogen sulfide during an event that began on Aug. 18, 2009.
I wonder how many fines are on the books in North Dakota for release of hazardous compounds into the air?  Since North Dakota does not comply to the Clean Air Act probably none.

Fracking Wonderland

Clean Up Your Act North Dakota

Court battles against North Dakota continue, why is it so hard to just comply to rules and make this a safe state to live in? It is our right to have CLEAN AIR.

EPA Spars With States, Industry Over Request To Stay SO2 Air Standard
INSIDE EPA ONLINE MAGAZINE - Posted: November 16, 2010
EPA is urging a federal appeals court to reject North Dakota's request to stay implementation of the agency's novel approach for determining whether states are attaining its strict new sulfur dioxide (SO2) ambient air standard, but critics say a stay is vital because of problems with "conservative" modeling EPA is relying on to make attainment decisions.
But EPA in a Nov. 8 response opposes a stay of the rule either in its entirety or of the June 2 deadline for attainment designations, saying North Dakota has not satisfied the "stringent requirements" for obtaining a stay of agency action. The state fails to address any elements of the revised SO2 standards itself and instead targets an "advisory discussion" in EPA's final rule about its anticipated approach to implementing the NAAQS, EPA says.
The American Lung Association (ALA), intervening in the lawsuit to defend the NAAQS, in a Nov. 8 filing also opposes a stay of the standard's implementation. North Dakota "wholly ignores the serious harm from a stay to the health interests of other parties and the public, particularly children, senior citizens, and asthmatics, who are at special risk from the kind of SO2 pollution that EPA's standard limits," according to ALA's filing.

Two environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency in federal court in San Francisco, asserting the EPA did not adequately enforce provisions of the Clean Air Act.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday by the Sierra Club and WildEarth Guardians  claims that the agency has failed to crack down on states that did not develop develop and submit plans for meeting air-quality standards. Known as national ambient air quality standards, or NAAQS, the rules limit pollution in order to protect human health and the environment.

The suit states that the EPA has been remiss in following up on the failures of numerous states and protectorates -- among them North Dakota, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands  Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington -- to submit localized plans for meeting air-quality standards.

Everyone Worried About North Dakota Air Quality

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 WildEarth Guardians Takes Aim at North Dakota Clean Air Loopholes EPA Called on to Force State to Revise Air Quality Rules, Hold Polluters Accountable Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 573-4898 x1303 Denver—WildEarth Guardians today called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to force the State of North Dakota to close its clean air loopholes and guarantee full protection of public health and welfare from air polluters. “This is about being safe, not sorry,” said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and Energy Program Director for WildEarth Guardians. “Air pollution limits exist to keep our health and our environment safe; it’s critical that we ensure compliance at all times, not just when it’s most convenient for polluters.” In a petition filed with the Administrator of the EPA, WildEarth Guardians targeted provisions in North Dakota’s air quality regulations that grant exceptions to meeting clean air standards. One provision in particular allows the State to grant “variances” from complying with emission limits that are meant to protect public health. The EPA has stated that it “agrees this rule should be revised.” See http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-13051.htm. “We don’t provide variances to speed limits and we certainly shouldn’t allow polluters to skirt complying with our basic clean air safeguards,” said Nichols. “It’s time to close up North Dakota’s loopholes.” States must adopt a set of air quality regulations that are consistent with the federal Clean Air Act. If their regulations are contrary to the Clean Air Act, the EPA can call for their revision. In today’s petition, WildEarth Guardians is calling on the EPA to require the State of North Dakota to revise its air quality regulations to close the loopholes and come into compliance with the Clean Air Act. WildEarth Guardians has called on the Administrator to respond to the petition within 60 days.

This interest All interests Search:

EPA facts on AIR POLUTION

I came across this article this morning, it is reassuring to know that the State of North Dakota is looking out for the health or the residents. http://www.epa.gov/air/particlepollution/actions.html  

• The following States/territories failed to submit SIPs to satisfy the basic program requirements for managing PM_2.5  air quality: 
• Alaska, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Vermont, Washington
• 
  

EPA Makes Findings of Failure to Submit State Implementation Plans (SIPs) -- 2006 PM2.5 Standard
May 28, 2010 - EPA issued findings that 29 states missed Clean Air Act deadlines for submitting plans, or elements of plans, for implementing EPA’s national air quality standards for the 2006 PM2.5.

• The following 29 states and territories failed to submit interstate transport SIPs:
  o Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan,
  Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
  South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming,
  the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the
  Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• On September 21, 2006, EPA revised its NAAQS for PM2.5 by significantly
  strengthening the 24-hour standards from 65μg/m3 to 35μg/m3. Thousands of scientific
  studies have linked exposure to these tiny particles - approximately 1/30th the size of a
  human hair - with serious human health problems including premature death in people
  with heart and lung disease; nonfatal heart attacks; and increased hospital admissions and
  doctor and emergency room visits for respiratory and cardiovascular disease.
• Now with all the excess tax dollars in North Dakota, enough to set up a saving fund for the future, why is the State not  implementing EPA’s national air quality standards, one of our basic rights, and most important to have clean air to breath. No wonder we see so many obituaries of young people in the local area.

I Need YOUR Help

I have noticed that quite a few people in this area have showed interest in this information. Now I need to pass on some very important information, and PLEASE take 5 minutes of your time and act on this for everyones safety. These are facts, as I have contacted many agencies trying to get help with our air quality in the area, people are sick and getting sicker because of this issue. First, the air monitor in Williston was turned OFF on March 5, 2009 because it was not needed to monitor air. Now the Center of  Disease Control has ruled that there are SEVERE RESPIRATORY ISSUES in this area caused by our AIR QUALITY. Such things as ammonia, VOCS, and sulfurs need to be monitored. Now our head of Air Quality REFUSES to monitor air in Williston and surrounding  area, he thinks he knows more than the Doctors.  Everyone needs to take a minute to call Mr Jim Semerad, head of Air Quality in North Dakota and state concerns about this, his contact info is 701-328-5188, in Bismarck. The EPA Region 8 Toxicologist in Denver is Kristen Keteles, she is very helpful with health issues and very willing to help, her contact info is 303) 312-6039

she has had extensive dealings with these types of health issues in other areas of the country and very helpful. If everyone will act on this and pass this info on to others, maybe we can get something done so we can live in this area and not be sick or die of cancer.

Very Important Latest News

PLEASE take the time to read the latest link attached to this site, it is very important news about what is going on in this area, pass this on to everyone you know, this information may save lives. http://earthworksaction.org/oil_and_gas.cfm is the link, or follow the title on this page A Source of Information and help for individuals with polution problems.

The Cause for the Cure

I spend many hours thinking about events in the past several years, and how they could possibly be linked to the events going on in my life today. When there are unexplained deaths and events in your life, these come to mind often and you carefully remember symptoms and signs that lead up to them. You attentively observe the livestock and animals trying to avoid a repeat. I was born into the life of ranching, my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, as a small child I was my grandfathers shadow, I remember driving the pickup feeding cattle when my foot could not reach the gas pedal, grandpa in the back. It is a passion, my cattle eat before I do, there health and safety is utmost importance to me. Walk off and leave them is not an acceptable answer to this problem, not only for them but for the rest of the world who have to breath this toxic air we are forced to breath. I should back up in time and explain  to you how this all came about. I did not just wake up one morning and decide to take a heavy metal toxin test, I had no idea what was going on. I saw a lot of death in this area, thought it was strange, but life is. I lost a very good neighbor a short time ago, young and sudden without previous illness, still not a clue as to what was happening. My favorite pet in June, suddenly got very sick, the Vet said it appeared to be poison, he died not long after. Family members coming to visit and getting sick while staying here. Still we go on with everyday life, fatigue, cough, weakness and trouble breathing, not knowing what is happening. I noticed that when I would go out to do chores in the morning I would get very lightheaded and dizzy, very odd feeling, until one day when I was feeding the Bulls, I ran into a pocket of gas, actually took my air away,brought me to my knees, choking and coughing looking for air. Very scary, not knowing what you  are dealing with or where you may encounter it. This has happened to me several times since then, and seems to be getting worse. The water ways almost appear to have a haze hanging on them, like you can see the poison in the air. My brain finally clicked, something here is not right, but what is it? Now I am a hard headed Norwegian, and don't take no for an answer, sometimes this can be a good thing. I will find the cause, even if I die trying. My husband and I ventured out this weekend and found some very odd things in the creek that runs on our property, places where warm gray water bubbles out of the ground with a very harsh offensive smell, now keep in mind that the creek is froze over this time of year, and the water is not warm. The harsh smell in the air that makes you choke. Our water wells started bubbling like 7up this summer, and the smell with  gas like fumes. Testing showing solvent in the well and many other unnatural toxic things. Doing laundry in the water almost makes your skin burn. Seeking out of state advice as to what is going on and any knowledge that may be helpful. And not taking NO for an answer. Be aware of what is going on around you, nature will give you some important clues that something is wrong, if you listen to her. It is not normal to walk into the barn and see a cat with blood coming out of her eyes and nose, this is a serious sign that that the air is toxic and will kill you. In memory of the friends and animals I have lost, my quest goes on to find the cause.

You Can't Hide From Bad Air

When something harmful is in the air, where do you go? This seems to be the question of the day, do you open windows, close windows, go inside or outside, it is everywhere. When the furnace kicks in it comes in the air ducts, seeps in thru windows and foundations, even your car heater when you are driving down the road. The livestock breath it 24/7. I haven't posted a blogg now for days, dealing with health problems, keeping animals safe and trying to find the source of this problem has not left me with much spare time. First I would like the thank Amanda for her comment about alternative healing, I have taken other steps to try to deal with all the health issues, mostly out of necessity and the will to live. When you wake up in the morning and your feet don't work anymore, it is real easy to make the decision that something has to be done today regardless of what tests are back. I seem to be holding my own, considering I fill up with toxins as fast as I can clean them out. When you are breathing them in everyday, the only way to not absorb more is to quit breathing, now I don't think that is going to work very well. I have moved most of the small animals off the farm to spare their lives, and have spent a good share of the past two days in town trying to heal up, only to find out the air there isn't much better than it is on the farm. At first I thought it was following me, but after looking at the situation I realize it is just nature taking it's course, contaminated air and water move faster than you would think. I wonder how far I will have to drive to give my system a break? Maybe Bismarck. I was told today that the environmental and health effects in the Williston Basin are compared to Rifle Co and Pavillion Wy, now if you know anything about either of these places you know how scary this is, if you don't you had better start doing your research because you are in for a hell of a ride. There are several links on this page that will take you to information about these two communities and what devastation has happened there. What it all boils down to is peoples lives and money, and what is more important to some people.  In the course of trying to find the cause of my families health problems I have tried to pass on as much information to everyone as I can find. I have contacted about every local and state agency possible to help find the source of this, and have gotten little to no help. I guess I am quite naive I actually thought that this is what our tax dollars were for. If even one person that reads this finds one piece of information useful I have accomplished something. I will continue to search and pass on as much information as possible, and hopefully find an answer. It is sad that this is the way Williston ND will be on the headlines of the  national news, instead of  having the lowest temperature in the US today. Also, it has been 3 weeks now, and still no results from the second arsenic testing, you can easily die and be buried in this amount of time, my advice is to know ahead of time what you are dealing with, I am thankful I took the first step to finding out or I would not be writing this tonight. You are no different than I am, I am sure you breath everyday as I do.

Biocide, Disaster when abused

Biocides have been around for years in agents such as herbicides and pesticides. Us in the rural setting have been educated on the use and safety of biocides and respect them for there importance and properties. Definition of Biocide-A chemical agent that is capable of destroying living organisms. What a powerful word, Biocide, now I do not believe when this product was first marketed it was meant to be used on human lives, but it appears that this is its use in our new industries. The American farmers and ranchers have a respect for this land like no other, we were taught from a young age the importance of living in harmony with mother nature and to care and respect what she has given us, as this is how we feed out families and put clothing on their backs. Without clean air, water and soil, GAME OVER, we have no visible means of support. We do not have the luxury of employer paid insurance, holiday,sick days, and Paycheck Friday. We are strong, self sufficient people  who feed America. Without farmers and ranchers there will be no WalMart, and McDonalds, the average Joe walking down the street has no idea as to how to grow a carrot, let alone feed them self and their family. The importance of this whole point is what is happening to our natural resources with the misuse of chemicals. Arsenic is an extremely toxic metal that poses such a significant environmental health hazard that the EPA placed it at the top of the list of 200 hazardous substances targeted by the 1990 Clean Air Act in terms of carcinogenic risk. Its historical and current uses have been primarily as a biocide. http://www.utexas.edu/research/ceer/dfe/project2.pdf   This and so many other very dangerous and deadly chemicals are in biocides and when mixed improperly with other agents equal a recipe for destruction.

Chemicals used in oil and gas development

The chemicals used to drill for and extract oil and gas have many known health effects associated with them.
 (TEDX) explores the health effects of products and chemicals used to produce oil and natural gas. These chemicals include toxic solvents, biocides, acids and others. To date, TEDX research has uncovered more than 450 chemicals used in five Western U.S. states.  More than 90% of the chemicals have potential health effects associated with exposure to them.This link to this article is included at the bottom of this page, there is so much information on this subject.

VOC and Human Guinea Pigs

When I first started researching VOC, I thought they were quite complicated, actually not at all.

Definitions

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – “VOCs are ground-water contaminants of concern because of very large environmental releases, human toxicity, and a tendency for some compounds to persist in and migrate with ground-water to drinking-water supply wells….In general, VOCs have high vapor pressures, low-to-medium water solubilities, and low molecular weights. Some VOCs may occur naturally in the environment, other compounds occur only as a result of manmade activities, and some compounds have both origins.” - Zogorski and others, 2006
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – “Volatile organic compounds released into the atmosphere by anthropogenic and natural emissions which are important because of their involvement in photochemical pollution.” - Lincoln and others, 1998
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – “Hydrocarbon compounds that have low boiling points, usually less than 100ºC, and therefore evaporate readily. Some are gases at room temperature. Propane, benzene, and other components of gasoline are all volatile organic compounds.” - Art, 1993
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – “VOCs are organic compounds that can be isolated from the water phase of a sample by purging the water sample with inert gas, such as helium, and, subsequently, analyzed by gas chromatography. Many VOCs are human-made chemicals that are used and produced in the manufacture of paints, adhesives, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants. They often are compounds of fuels, solvents, hydraulic fluids, paint thinners, and dry-cleaning agents commonly used in urban settings. VOC contamination of drinking water supplies is a human-health concern because many are toxic and are known or suspected human carcinogens.” - U.S. Geological Survey, 2005  taken from http://toxics.usgs.gov/definitions/vocs.html
 Health Effects
People with lung disease, children, older adults, and people who are active can be affected when ozone levels are unhealthy. Numerous scientific studies have linked ground-level ozone exposure to a variety of problems, including:

• airway irritation, coughing, and pain when taking a deep breath;
• wheezing and breathing difficulties during exercise or outdoor activities;
• inflammation, which is much like a sunburn on the skin; 
• aggravation of asthma and increased susceptibility to respiratory illnesses like pneumonia and bronchitis; and,
• permanent lung damage with repeated exposures. 
• http://www.epa.gov/air/emissions/voc.htm this site give additional information on programs to reduce VOCs 
• In the earth's lower atmosphere, ground-level ozone is considered "bad." Motor vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents as well as natural sources emit NOx and VOC that help form ozone. Ground-level ozone is the primary constituent of smog. Sunlight and hot weather cause ground-level ozone to form in harmful concentrations in the air. As a result, it is known as a summertime air pollutant. Many urban areas tend to have high levels of "bad" ozone, but even rural areas are also subject to increased ozone levels because wind carries ozone and pollutants that form it hundreds of miles away from their original sources.
• This is a small amount of the information, there is much available, but all  seem to translate into the fact that nothing about all these chemical VOCs is good for anything or anyone. 
• http://mha-times.com/news/local-news/bakken-pollution-catches-everyone-by-surprise/53
• This is another quite interesting article published in 2009 some of the more interesting text
  A new source of pollution is escaping from all Bakken oil sites and regulators and operators are trying to figure out how much and what to do about it.
  Lynn Helms, director of the state's Department of Mineral Resources, said the Bakken-only situation does have serious environmental implications.
  The State Health Department and the Environmental Protection Agency are working with major Bakken producers to accurately measure how many tons of hydrocarbon called "volatile organic compounds," are being emitted, a number that easily could be into the tens of thousands of tons, if not higher.
  So from all the information given above and available, do you as a citizen of North Dakota feel like a guinea pig in an experiment as to just how much toxic chemical pollution a persons lungs can absorb before death?  Of course this study is generalized to certain areas.
  

Sources of Arsenic

Much of my information comes from research, when this started I knew nothing about this subject, but why would the average person be concerned about arsenic. BECAUSE IT KILLS. How many deaths have already occurred by arsenic but taken as natural causes such as pneumonia, asthma, heart attack. These are the way you die of arsenic toxicity if don't know what you are dealing with. PLEASE take your health in your own hands and take a simple test that could save your life. Doctors do not test for arsenic on a regular basis, probably don't even think of this as a cause for symptoms, it will take up to 3 weeks to receive results of an arsenic urine tests, in that time pneumonia will kill you. From research, and this is a quote from http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/arsenic/whosat_risk.html  Living near sources of high ambient air levels of arsenic. Now what does this statement say? Who is safe from this?  Significant exposure to arsenic occurs through both anthropogenic and natural sources. Arsenic is released into the air by volcanoes and is a natural contaminant of some deep-water wells. Occupational exposure to arsenic is common in the smelting industry (in which arsenic is a byproduct of ores containing lead, gold, zinc, cobalt, and nickel) and is increasing in the microelectronics industry (in which gallium arsenide is responsible). Low-level arsenic exposure continues to take place in the general population (as do some cases of high-dose poisoning) through the commercial use of inorganic arsenic compounds in common products such as wood preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and paints; through the consumption of foods and the smoking of tobacco treated with arsenic-containing pesticides; and through the burning of fossil fuels in which arsenic is a contaminant.  This is taken from an other website http://www.manbir-online.com/diseases/arsenic.htm   Few people die from arsenic because they ate or drank something, and most murders are shootings.  Please read the key words here and think about this, and save your life.

Arsenic Trioxide

The only widely available compound containing arsenic is Arsenic Trioxide. I guess when you and your family have an extreme deadly amounts of arsenic floating in your system, you become almost obsessed with all the knowledge available. Some very interesting facts about this element, in 1981 the US Environmental Protection Agency approved a five year $1.6 BILLION federal clean up program referred to as a super fund. Priority was given to hazardous waste sites. Pollution via three "pathways" AIR, GROUNDWATER  and SURFACE WATER. One of these sites was actually in North Dakota an arsenic trioxide disposal site. Now from this information you would think this stuff wouldn't be very nice to have floating around the countryside. Arsenic Trioxide reacts with water to form metal hydroxide and methane gas. Just for the fun of it do a quick search and see what it brings up. Here is an interesting article I came across http://www.actio.net/default/index.cfm/news-events/blog/ a little info about some of the ingredients in chemical fracking, interesting how similar  they are to farming chemicals, and actually some of the same.

Death by Arsenic Toxicity

Would you ever  think that walking outside and breathing would kill you?  Arsenic is a very serious word no matter how you look at it, and combine it with another nice metal like Germanium and that is quite the cocktail.  I should be able to sell the rights for this story to HBO.  Now I remember Grandpa telling stories about people dying of arsenic poisoning back in the days when they used it to kill about anything annoying, but this is 2010.  Yes there are trace amounts of arsenic in about everything, soil water, food and even people, but I don't think when you get well over the 100 mark that is considered trace anymore.  Now germanium, that is an odd one, we don't have many germanium mines in North Dakota. Impossible you say, NOT, think again, we are surrounded by all types deadly toxic gases that contain both of these nice items and even more.  Now this has taken much more research than you can imagine to figure this out, germanium is not found in the free state but always in combination with other elements such as arsenic.  http://www.msdlatinamerica.com/ebooks/HarwoodNussClinical%20racticeofEmergencyMedicine/sid1462390.html  This link has some very good information on some of these gases. Arsenic, now this explains the strange rash, and other symptoms and my trip to the emergency room because I could not breath, it does all kinds of fun things too you.  Enough exposure can kill you right away, but it can also build up in your system and kill you. When you are inhaling this everyday, it won't take long to show effects, if you have asthma or other breathing problems, even sooner.  Now when you get to the emergency room dying of arsenic poisoning you better know that, because I guarantee no one is going to do a blood test looking for it. Enough arsenic in your system and your organs start shutting down, it is a very slow ugly death, as I have had to hold and watch more than one of my animals die this way, not knowing yet what was going on at my home.  Now they say death can make you stronger, I guess this is one of those instances because I have become very determined to live and try to keep my family, pets and livestock alive. God help the person who gets in my way of finding the cause of this, I have lost too much already.  I live each day one at a time, not sure what will happen tomorrow, it is scary when you go to bed at night, one of your last thoughts are, will I wake up in the morning?  It is a waiting game, more test results before treatment can start, but how much longer can I wait, everyday I am breathing the same air?  I have chores to go outside to do, I wonder if I will make it back to the house? I better go check, my husband has been outside too long, he should be back in by now, as he has the same toxic levels as I have.  When I go out to feed the calf in the morning will she still be alive? I wonder what calving season will bring, need to find out how to clean the cows systems also. How many cats out in the barn will be dead today? Tend to the sick dog in the house. It is an awful lot to comprehend when you are sick yourself. All I did was walk outside and breath, what is wrong with this picture?

If ignorance is bliss, we live in the most blissful state in the union

It appears that the education requirements of the people controlling this state are only to graduate from headstart. Where do you get an answer other than pass the buck. Quite honestly how can a state allow anyone who wants to come in and do what ever they want with no enforcement of regulations on activities and not expect disaster?  And who ends up paying the bills when it is over?  While land owners end up with land that is unsellable and unlivable.  Why and when would it ever be okay for a person to be forced to leave their home because of health conditions beyond their control so someone from some other state can make a million dollars.  How do you react when you get a phone call telling you to pack up and leave your home because it is killing you? Back up the bus, I didn't make the mess why am I the one who has to leave? So many questions, no answers.

Frack That Oil by Kris Kitko

Heavy Metal Testing

This is a very controversial subject, Medical Doctors frown upon it Naturalists live by it. Now I don't classify myself as anything except basic country folk, eat like my grandparents did, don't use any special concoctions of herbs, take my vitamins, and spend most of my time outdoors caring for livestock and usual country life. Now the killer part of this statement is "outdoors" who would have thought all the hours spent outside was actually killing me, my family, my livestock and my pets. Now how scary is that?  I'm not one to run to a Doctor every time I have an ache, but there are times when you know something is wrong and it is necessary to make that trip. The problem here is that normal medical tests don't always show underlying problems, Doctors just have the symptoms to treat.  I'm sure we have all been there. Why out of the blue would someone wake up one morning with a strange rash on there legs? Must have gotten into something, tired all the time, can't get rid of this annoying cough, better go in and get this checked out.  Nothing to worry about, just a dermatitis, try this salve, take some extra vitamin D, should help. 4 months later I now have this strange rash over my entire body? What is going on? Have used the same cleaners, laundry soaps, nothing different in the house.  Start reading labels, allergy tests, drive my husband nuts and myself ripping the house apart.  New furnace, central air unit, water heater, plumbing, every test kit available, thousand of dollars latter, nothing. Time to hit the internet, research, wow way too much info, many nights reading articles going to different websites, all seem to lead to one basic cause, environmental, could this be? Well one easy way to find out, Hair Toxin Test, whats $80.00 I've already spent thousands.  This was the best investment I have ever made, I cannot tell you all the info that came from this simple test.  It s a good baseline to start with, and will help show you which direction to go.  Of course Medical Doctors do have to back this up with blood and urine testing, but it helps to find what tests should be done, and to every ones surprise the outcome is amazing.  A lot of these heavy metals are cancer causing, and deadly and if found and removed from your system could prevent further problems and present problems.  As I will soon find out, this is a learning process and what I have so far learned is very scary.  Where is this coming from is the next question, and one without an easy answer. What around me has changed in the past several years?

What would it be like to live in a world with clean air

We take such things for granted, clean air and water, always thought these two things were god given, NOT. A day in ER will bring you back to reality.  This is an issue that should not be taken lightly, as I now know what it is like to not be able to breath. All the millions of people with asthma, who suffer daily, some of this could actually be avoided if we had clean air to breath.  Unknown to many are the effects of heavy metals to health. Breathing is on the top of the list. There are many informational web sites this is just one of them http://www.ei-resource.org/illness-information/related-conditions/heavy-metal-toxicity/.  You would think living in rural North Dakota, we would all enjoy healthy living, after all we don't have smog and pollution like the cities, instead we have something better, oilfield toxins to hide our clean air. How many burning flares are there in Williams Co alone? I would be curious to know. Now I would imagine some would not agree with this, as of course all the companies abide by regulations and this is monitored by the EPA. I wonder if there is any place left that is safe to live?

Health Concerns in the Williston Basin Area

Faced with some major health issues has brought me to the start of this Blogger site.  I have lived in this area for 35 years, until recently have enjoyed a happy healthy life.  Earlier this year I started experiencing some health issues that were unexplained.  Much research and many tests found some strange results that still leave me looking for answers, which makes me believe that I may not be alone, and others out there are having similar problems.  Fatigue, annoying cough that never goes away, strange rashes, shortness of breath, muscle cramps, just general feel like crap all the time.  I welcome all comments and will continue to update on a daily basis.