Online even co-sponsored with Colorado Rising, featuring the following speakers:
Andrew Klooster, Colorado Field Advocate with Earthworks, is an expert videographer and a certified optical gas imaging thermographer. He has been working with local environmental groups in the Front Range for years, has documented many instances of VOC and methane pollution sources in the region, and is very familiar with the situations of many of the afflicted communities.
Dr Cory Carroll, MD, Physicians for Social Responsibility Colorado, will detail health impacts he has seen in his patients from being exposed to ozone, VOCs, and other dangerous air emissions, based on his professional experience with patients.
Dr. Detlev Helmig, CEO of BoulderAIR, will discuss findings from his continuous air quality monitoring study at 5 installations in the Front Range (Boulder, Longmont (2), Erie & Broomfield), which have identified quantity and source of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) contributing to the formation of ozone along the Front Range. Many of these VOCs are toxic and can traced directly to oil and gas operations in the region.
We have all watched the deterioration of air quality along the Front Range in Northern Colorado, from hazy days when the mountains are hard to see to those times when it is genuinely difficult to breathe. For the past several years, counties in Northern Colorado have received a failing grade for their air quality in updated surveys from the American Lung Association.
Many factors contribute to this, but it’s clear emissions from poorly managed oil and gas operations are a major part of the pollutants affecting our air quality. However, state and local governments and regulatory agencies are missing key data that would lead to more effective control of the industries behind this environmental problem.
Come join Northern Colorado Air Quality
A webinar about what is in our air,
And what we can do about it
This online event will be presented by the Larimer Alliance for Health, Safety, & the Environment and Colorado Rising on Wednesday, March 16 at 6:00 PM. We’ll have speakers who can document poor air quality along the Front Range and beyond, the resulting negative health consequences, and ways to precisely measure exactly what is contributing to this problem. We can then discuss the need for more civic engagement for necessary action from our regional governments and regulators.
Featured Speakers:
Andrew Klooster: Colorado Field Advocate with Earthworks, Andrew is a Certified Optical Gas Imaging Thermographer. Earthworks field staff use industry-standard optical gas imaging cameras manufactured by FLIR to document pollution at oil and gas facilities that is not visible to the naked eye. Andrew’s videos of field observations of oil and gas operations in Colorado have been seen as part of testimony to state and local regulatory agencies, and have been featured recently in several news stories centered on some particularly problematic facilities.
Cory Carroll, MD: A member of Physicians for Social Responsibility Colorado, Dr. Carroll’s Fort Collins practice in family medicine has provided him direct insights into health impacts of regional oil and gas projects on his patients, and has commented in many public appearances before state and local government bodies on this topic. He will detail research showing that exposure to unconventional oil and gas development has a negative effect on all-cause mortality in Medicare beneficiaries. . . that is, fracking is hurting both old and young.
Detlev Helmig, PhD: A noted atmospheric scientist, Dr. Helmig has pioneered unique monitoring systems that can sample atmospheric pollutants tracking them continuously to provide a real time record of hazardous emissions. Stations he has established with his company Boulder Air have been set up for many city and county governments along the Front Range. Correlated with careful weather observations, these monitors are able to identify specific chemical signatures from oil and gas facilities, differentiating them from other ambient sources of pollution such as vehicle traffic and wildfires.
