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ExxonMobil team collects more samples from Crane house affected by suspected oil seepage
Kaieteur News – A team from ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) on Tuesday returned to the home of Basmatie Singh to collect additional samples from the area of her home affected by suspected oil seepage.
ExxonMobil team collecting more samples from the house affected by suspected oil seepage at Nouvelle Flanders/Crane WCD
The liquid substance found under the tiles in Basmatie Singh’s home. As seen in the image, most areas were wet when this contractor broke the tiles on Monday
Singh told this newspaper that representatives of the EMGL’s grievance team along with a team from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) visited her home at noon. The representatives from the team reportedly told the woman that they will return to drill deep between the surface of her home to get a better understanding of what is taking place.
“They took the samples and they said they will be returning to drill further down in the earth to try and determine what it is… The EPA came again and this time, they came with a chemist…For now, I am at a standstill just watching to see what is happening,” the woman said.
Singh who is a caterer told this newspaper that she is unable to work due to the situation.
“Right now, I have to be careful because I don’t know what it is really what the position with this thing coming up in the floor… if it’s safe to prepare people’s food. We want an answer,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, Nandanie Singh, the other resident of the Crane housing scheme when contacted on Tuesday told Kaieteur News that the EPA revisited her home to collect the samples oozing through the floors.
On Monday, the EPA visited two homes of West Demerara residents affected by the suspected oil leakage to collect more samples. Representatives from the EPA, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the Ministry of Health and Civil Defence Commission (CDC) conducted inspections in the homes.
Officers of GGMC gathered samples of dirt surrounding the house for testing. This newspaper was informed that the agencies will be conducting tests to determine whether the samples have volatile organic compounds present including sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
Monday marked the third on-site visit that the EPA and other agencies made to the home Ms. Singh shares with her son. A team from the EPA, GGMC and ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) visited Singh’s home on October 8.
The team had conducted tests and took samples of the substance for further testing offsite. The family was later informed by the EPA during the second visit on October 11 that the living room area was high in Sulphur Dioxide.
Basmatie and her son have expressed concerns for their health since Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), according to the American Lung Association, is a gaseous air pollutant composed of sulfur and oxygen. “SO2 forms when sulfur-containing fuel such as coal, petroleum oil, or diesel is burned,” the Association said.
Inhaling this gas can be extremely dangerous to human health causing wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness and other problems. According to the American Lung Association, “Long-term exposure at high levels increases respiratory symptoms and reduces the ability of the lungs to function.”
Both Basmatie and her son reported experiencing a burning sensation of the eyes and nose from the fumes emanating from the substance seeping into their home. Basmatie particularly, has complained of experiencing symptoms such as nausea and headache. Giving an update on her health, Singh told Kaieteur News that a doctor was also among the visiting team from the Ministry of Health on Monday.
“The doctor that come from the Ministry of Health talk to me today and said that they will do some tests to ensure that you know, everything is ok health wise. He said they will pay for the test to be done private,” Singh related.
The woman’s home is located a short distance away from where American oil giant, ExxonMobil has laid a 12-inch pipeline. The pipeline is connected to the Liza One and Liza Two Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessels (FPSO) offshore. It will transport gas to the Wales Development site.
In August, ExxonMobil completed hooking up the pipeline to the two FPSOs. The company had said it would pump an earthen gas- like nitrogen- along with water into the structure, until the construction of the gas plants is completed at Wales.
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