Another child wakes up covered in blood, more sick cattle enter our food chain, another sick family with ruined lives and finances -- air poisoning near natural gas operations

I know, it's a shocking title for this blog post. Some will call me dramatic, but who wouldn't be outraged upon reading today's article in the Wise County Messenger, in the Barnett Shale area of Texas. Lisa Parr has suffered rashes, memory loss, inability to walk, uncontrollable tremors, enlarged lymph nodes, and difficulty speaking. It took doctors a year to figure out she had been poisoned by her environment. The same toxins found in testing from nearby natural gas operations were found in Lisa's lab work. Her husband suffered nosebleeds, as did their little daughter, who woke up crying covered in blood, and also suffered rashes and stomach problems. Sadly, these are not the only parents who have seen their child this way when living near natural gas operations.

Tragically, according to the article, the first toxic air testing was done two months ago, yet nothing has been done to stop it. The article quotes the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as saying it does not have the authority to shut down this operation.

This does not have to happen. Companies can install equipment to capture their air emissions. Shame on any company that chooses to not use technologies that will protect families and defends the loopholes in our laws that allow this to happen.