LIFE AFTER OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION
Several people have asked me to write the revised edition of our story and here it is, shortened for you.
My name is Jaime Lorraine Long Chimner. I am a casualty of the Oil and Gas Industry. I was 45 years old (I'm now 54) when the facility I lived by let off an alleged illegal release of H2S, hydrogen sulfide or rotten egg smell, without notifying local residents or EMS. My life would never be the same.
Because of the gas and oil industry I now have fibromyalgia, a neurological muscular disease, trouble walking and some days can't. A lot of pain, more than anyone can imagine except those living this nightmare, osteoporosis, worsening of my asthma, muscles in my vocal cords can close off. I only go outside when I have to because it is easier that way. I check the air quality every day on the computer. We were told to get the heck out of Michigan, the air was not good and so much land and water had been contaminated. I can see all that now.
I can't remember the exact date any more (2004) but I can tell you that my life, as well as others, was turned upside down. We called it the twilight zone. What had occurred, we found later, that the floating lid on one of three 150,000 gallon storage tanks had broken and dropped to the level in the tank. Pushing all the H2S up and we lived straight downwind, H2S is heavier than air. H2S can kill or destroy a life in seconds. We didn't have the choice of seconds. We were alive and slowly being crippled.
We met a couple Dan and De who had been investigating this facility. They had come to our door because De had heard I was very ill. I'd never heard of H2S before but knew the rotten egg smell. My husband and De plunged into research. We were on the attack, legally.
I became weaker and weaker. I was so hoarse (as are others from Lewiston, MI, my town). My muscles go to jello and some days I can barely stand from the pain. Then and now.
After heart pains for a month ( a side affect of H2S exposure) my family doctor sent me to a cardiologist. He ordered a treadmill test. It was positive. The doctor proceeded to recommend a heart catherization. Having been a Emergency Medical Technician for 16 years I knew there were risks. In recovery I eventually couldn't talk and my head hurt so much. The nurse thought I was having a stroke. They never found out except I had “a Huge, Major Neurological event” as my chart says. The catheter and the chemicals inside me clashed and caused stroke like symptoms that I still have today.
After that event I could no longer work. My memory was affected severely, my balance was bad and just getting around was difficult. I was losing my hair, I couldn't urinate, I felt like in a fog some days. My doctor said I needed to leave Lewiston and the area and get north of these wells or they were going to do me great harm (like they hadn't already) or I could die. I have met or heard from many people who have said that when they left the Lewiston area they felt better. I have had emails recently saying families left Lewiston because it smelled. I get so many emails from people having heard of me. One man even said he thought we were crazy years ago but now he could see we weren't crazy, people just wouldn't listen to us then.
Lewiston was a cute little tourist town. It is an oil and gas town now. I can no longer visit and my boundary is 20 miles south from where I am now, no further.
During all this in Lewiston, I had 4 nasal surgeries, the first finding aspergillis. It is a mold that is not found up here in Northern Michigan often I was told. It shows up on the oil and gas industries list of things you can get from that industry. Interesting, my dad had to quit visiting us as he would get so sick and go into pneumonia and usually ended up in Cheboygan Hospital (he also got aspergillis.)
Finally my doctor said there was nothing more he could do. There was an “experimental drug” that I could qualify for. Having a suppressed immune system right after the exposure and high dose Prednisone, I was desperate to give anything a try. My life will never be the same. In desperation I didn't always make wise choices in my health care.
My ENT doctor wrote a letter stating that H2S and the chemicals where I lived were causing my problems. I have multiple chemical sensitive. This was sent along to the Environmental Protection Agency along with two other doctor letters. In fact during our many local Township meetings back in 2004-2006 I saw DEQ officials passing my medical records around themselves.
We have dealt with the Department of Environmental Quality people, who by the way are supposed to protect the public from these kind of things. We've dealt with the Department of Natural Resources who approve the drilling permits, the DEQ makes the final decision. As the DEQ and DNR get revenues from the mineral rights on State Land to run these two agencies who would turn down a permit? No one. The State puts up ten of thousands of mineral rights on the land they owned out for bid for the oil or gas companies to buy up and drill baby drill.
We have caught the industry in so many alleged deceptions. We have paperwork.
No one seems to care in this State and we could find no one to help us. Lawyers disappeared and we felt helpless. I wrote a newsletter back then. I tried once a week to keep informed my home town and all over the world. One DEQ official named Mark Stephens, in the Air Quality devision said after a heated phone debate that “he would rather work for rich people who fight people like me.” What a nice thing to come out of a DEQ's official mouth. We were fighting for our lives and this was what we had to put up with?
We contacted Rep. Bart Stupak who wrote the head of the DEQ who had the nerve to an alleged lie of not knowing any H2S was going in that facility. Rep. Stupak realized he was lying and not much happened after that. We contacted Senator Stabenow who got the EPA to come due air testing for 3 days. They did, but the DEQ was right there with them. The interesting part was during that air sampling it did show CONSTANT H2S, no matter how low, it was chronic, exposure to those people in Lewiston of hydrogen sulfide. Of course the companies didn't care. The claimed vapor recovery on the trucks delivering the product to the station, I allege they never had it. It all vents into the air, as they can vent natural gas Antrim wells up to five miles, last I knew, and if it is by a house, like my friend Patty, it didn't matter.
There was a study out about the affects of constant low level of H2S exposure in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. We fit the bill but not enough air monitors for us.
Our lives were threatened. We lost everything from friends to eternity or friends who didn't understand what we were doing or thought we would fix it. To those family members who turned their backs on us for fighting for our lives, shame on all of you.
We had four years to find a lawyer and get a lawsuit going. We tried in Michigan and all over the country and no one wanted to help. Yes they would say there was a problem but it was too big for them. Our case was before its time to be believed. How could an industry do this to people? There is no answer to that other than greed.
I putter around the old farmhouse we're redoing. It goes very slow as Joe has to see if I am going to react to something he's using. He tries hard to get non scented building items. I can't do any cleaning because of the fumes. When I can I use baking soda or vodka to clean. They are great cleaning supplies. I have to look at ALL the labels of items I might be using, including medication.
Doctors up here don't know how to deal with someone like me. I'm trying to educate them and the public about the affects this industry, whether deep fracking or shallow fracking or oil occur. It is a slow process. I had a doctor in the Cheboygan Hospital Emergency Department look at my medical record (which I carry with me to remember) and said no one could have 16 allergies to medications. Guess what....it's up to 19.) As my life goes on more diagnosis's are found with no money to get the bathroom enlarged for the special tub I need or the ramp to make leaving the house tolerable or any special needs I have. People ask how much the industry paid us off. I don't get offended anymore I just say nothing, I lost everything.
I have a special mask and 2 special air cleaners in my house. We have the special tub I need but no one to help expand our bathroom. It is in the living room with the bed with a hose running from the bathroom to fill it. We drive 45 miles one way for the continuous physical therapy I need. I need a ramp that we can't afford to build onto the deck. We moved the bed downstairs in our living room because I can no longer do steps or do them safely.
We can't afford the face masks I need just to go outside, including the big one seen in the picture. We can't afford someone to come clean my house. My husband tries so hard. The Oil and Gas industry must be laughing at us.
We can't afford the face masks I need just to go outside, including the big one seen in the picture. We can't afford someone to come clean my house. My husband tries so hard. The Oil and Gas industry must be laughing at us.
Injury was and is so hard to prove in a court of law because of overlapping symptoms. We couldn't afford the expert witnesses so our statute of limitations went by and we lost everything. My family (other than my children) turned their backs on me for reasons they will never understand. Friends tend to stay away, especially when we were fighting full time for 2 years.
If you come away with anything from this is if you see someone constantly sick ask them what they live around and 9 times out of 10 there is a well, compression station, or trucks that go by that may be causing their problem, a paper mill or air venting from the petroleum tanks by the river where we live.
I never thought my life would end up like this in a thousand years. I am alive and kicking one day at a time. A good day is a miracle and cherished. Through the horror I found my soul mate, my joe. Ironically his ex wife was exposed to floor stripper at a local hospital. She eventually died from it over 2 years ago. He looked after her for 14 years even though divorced. That says a lot for a man. He can get me to smile through my tears on those all too frequent “bad” weeks.
I would be glad to speak on the subject and/ or educate people about Hydrogen Sulfide. Watch for Propylene glycol on labels as it is an antifreeze. It can be found from ice cream to shampoos to creams. There are many others petroleum chemicals in our foods and househould items so read your labels and watch what is around you.
What we go through is so frustrating but if we can help one person and/or save one life than all this hell has been worth it. That's my story in a nutshell with lots in between.
Thank you
Jaime Long Chimner
Cheboygan, MI 49721
231-627-6374
