While working in the drilling industry, many risks are taken with your personal safety and well being on a daily basis, some you may not even be the slightest bit aware are taking place. Not only are you subjected to dangerous working conditions that can physically put you in harm’s way, such as explosions and falls, but you must also give thought to chemical exposure during hydraulic fracturing. These contaminants can harbor carcinogens and have the ability to greatly threaten your health and in turn, your life.
A fall can happen quite easily at any drilling site. Burns from natural gas explosions can also take place and cause irreparable damage. Trucking accidents to and from sites, and improper safety techniques and procedures can lead to immense pain and suffering on your part. These all seem like very obvious dangers in the drilling industry, but the chemical toxins you are breathing in on the job site consistently everyday may prove to be an even worse threat than any of those others.
One such toxic contaminant, respirable crystalline silica, can lead to a lung disease known as silicosis. This disease causes scarring and inflammation of the lung and a decreased ability to take in oxygen. Lung cancer, as well as certain autoimmune diseases, kidney cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, have all been linked back to silicosis. Ninety-nine percent of the sand used in hydraulic fracturing contains respirable crystalline silica. Those who breathe this toxin in, day in and day out, have the greatest risk of developing silicosis.
If you feel you have been exposed to harmful chemicals such as respirable crystalline silica, or have been injured working on a drilling site in any other way, you may be entitled to compensation. Paula Robinson is here to help with your workers’ compensation claim.
