The fracking industry loves to say that the water they inject deep underground in order to fracture rock and extract natural gas and oil is harmless to humans and poses no environmental risk. But a truck driver in West Virginia found out that may not be the case.
Russell Evans stopped at what is known in the fracking industry as a “sloppy bond” in May of 2013 and noticed his truck was leaking. A “sloppy bond” is where used fracking fluid is stored.
According to the a lawsuit Evans has now filed, he attempted to stop the leak and was sprayed with fracking water. Range Resources, the company who owned the fracking operation, told Evans he was not allowed to leave the worksite for another two hours, but assured him the fluid he had all over him was harmless. A supervisor also told him that if he wanted to wash the fracking fluid off he could do so at a nearby?McDonald’s.
As a result, the legal complaint states:
?Due to the fact that Mr. Evans was told the reused water was harmless, he remained in his wet clothes for several hours while he drove back to Equipment Transport LLC’s terminal in Dallas Pike, Virginia. In total, Mr. Evans remained in these clothes for over four hours.?
Shortly after the episode, Evans began noticing a rash and blisters forming on his skin. When he went to a MedExpress for medical attention, he was told they could not treat him for the burns unless they know what chemicals were in the fracking water. Range Resources, however, refused to say what chemicals are in its frack water.
And those weren’t the only symptoms Mr. Evans experienced. It has also been reported:
?In addition to skin ailments, he claimed he suffered nausea, shortness of breath, indigestion, vertigo and headaches, as well as potentially permanent skin discoloration and permanent sensitivity to sunlight.”
Range Resources, through a spokesman,?Matt Pitzarella, denies the company refused to share the contents of the fracking liquid in question:
?There are no secrets, especially when it comes to safety. Range’s commitment to safety is shared by the nearly 900 men and women who work here, and it’s ingrained in our culture. The single most important thing for us is making sure that every worker goes home safe at the end of their workday.?
However, in 2013 Range Resources told a judge in Pennsylvania that it did not know what its fracking water was composed of.
George M. Kontos, who represents Evans, says his client stands by what he has previously said:
?We certainly want to do all that we can to ensure that Range is held responsible for its actions in this case, and for misleading our client and the public about the harmful nature of this water.”
