They know that oil is a carcinogen. I worked around all kinds of nasty stuff, Hydrogen Sulfide probably was the greatest threat. It has killed a lot of people. The fire threat was always very real. I was involved in several pretty big fires over the years, one of them almost cooking my goose!dolph wrote:Jay, forgive me for changing the subject but I noticed on your profile that you were employed by an oil company. Do you feel the chemicals oilmen come in contact with are a serious threat to their health as is often the case in natural gas drilling? What about the local water supply, is it harmed by the drilling?
There is a discussion going on about fracking. I'm not so sure it really bothers the water table. The oil and gas we produce is usually so much deeper than the groundwater we drink that I don't see much of a problem. I worked for a "Water District" for a while and the only problem I saw with the oil and gas industry and groundwater was when one oil company drilled a well and didn't line their pits properly. The groundwater there is about 100 feet deep. Eventually the oil will reach the water table but probably not in my lifetime. I used to go by and test water out of a well there every few months or so and never saw a problem.
JayMc