In the Fall of 2010, the Central Park Area Neighbors Association (CPANA) Board of Directors responded to citizen concerns about the air quality effects of proposed gas drilling in Southern Lewisville by approving a study that would undertake some baseline readings of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) over the course of a full year. The study, which would hopefully (at the time) be concluded prior to the commencement of gas drilling activity would give an estimate of the amount of VOCs in the air before gas activity, in order to provide a basis for comparison after gas activity.
Results Summary
Most of the volatile organic compounds detected in this study were picked up in quantities less than 0.1 parts per billion (ppb). The highest maximum concentration of any substance was only 0.49 ppb. The highest concentration for benzene in any given month was 0.27 ppb, well below the 1.4 ppb long-term effects screening level (LTESL) established by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The highest monthly VOC load for any given sample was 1.81 ppb for all substances detected, and averaged only 0.82 ppb. Although the levels detected were very low, the data suggest a difference between the two general areas being surveyed, with one area showing about twice the VOC load. In any case, no compounds came close to any air monitoring comparison values (AMCVs).
CPANA Baseline VOC Study Final
