A common understanding is that when a fossil fuel like methane is burnt, it produces Carbon dioxide and water. However, this is under ideal burning conditions where all the methane is burnt. This is not always the case with oil plants. It is assumed that the flares burn at a 98% efficiency.
Plant et. Al posted a study in 2022 found that “that both unlit flares and inefficient combustion contribute comparably to ineffective methane destruction, with flares effectively destroying only 91.1% (90.2, 91.8; 95% confidence interval) of methane”. This is a significantly lower percentage because this is means a greater percentage of methane is released in the atmosphere. Furthermore, according to the Environment Defence Fund methane is “80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere”.
If we combine this statistic with LNG’s “flares exceeded permitted volumes by 45 times on average, cold/dry by 40 times and storage and loading by five times”. Then tells us a dire story. Specially from the perspective on how these gases affect the human health.
Dr. Tim Takaro, former physician from Simon Fraser University, communicated that methane and benzene which are released in the from the gas plants cause the most common lung disease. It is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In this disease, the patient’s airflow to the lung is limited and it is not fully reversible.
He also highlighted that these gases cause asthma in young folks. These gases also cause cardiovascular diseases, reproductive hazards and premature birth.
Older folks are much more vulnerable along with folks with people with pre-existing lung or heart diseases.
Doctors are also seeing diseases related to brain health. He added “there seems to be increased dementia in populations exposed to, to particulate matter, increase in stroke and, other illnesses”.
The bottom line is that these carcinogens cause inflammation and they are not good for the body.
These carcinogens are also causing leukemia and other cancers as well. Pope et al, published their finding in 2002. However, Canda allows companies to drill out oil from the land and does not regulate them effectively such that the pollutants like benzene that are entering the atmosphere are measured.