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cos; Fai.r,,r~ EPF Had r char~~a to r?~ulete by ' den sat8de Mtp /Iwww,chron corr ~tenUchron~cle/ a et!37,"t 1 i0^rn ~ - P 9 o.rs..tmn .~~imi re-ltiiratory p;~oblems and e}•e irritation Although studies puL7tished in the past decade indicate, lhat hydrogen sulfide is harmful in e~~tren;efy fuw doses, the li-S Ln~, ironntental Protection Agency and most states, including Texas, have done little to c;onhol it. Attempb at regulation have met with fierce resistance from industry, which has argued success6.rily thta the chemical poses only intenruttent risks As a result, hydrogen sulfide may he the least-regulated common poison in the C'nitrd States, a situation drat has forced some of those affected by it to Turn to the courts for help ' ~nh•; hearing on .~pri1 28, a Michigan judge condemned that state's Department of Environment>:: r!cu'ity fur failing to protect the public from leaking "sour" oil and gas wells and pipelines these tainted with hydrogen sulfide "w'hu in the hell stands for the public health?" asked Circuit Judge Jarnes Batzer, presiding in a lawsuit tiled by rural Filer 1"o~~nship against two independent exploration companies "`rL'hat du we have a total abdication in this state?" hydrogen zulfide we ,_i :,eem to meet the federal government's legal definition of s hazardous air pollutant A compou~.a r:gat presents or may present "through inhalation or other routes of exposure, a threat of adverse human health effects . or adverse environmental effects as a result of emissions to the air " fhe law re:;_'res that runsideration be given to chemicals that may cause cancer, binh defects, neurological damage or reproductive impairment. Such chemicals may be either acutely or chroniatly tm:ic 4nd yet when the EP,3 put ltychogen sulfide on the Itazarduus :4ir Pollutant list, the oil industry lobhied successfulh t« hay ~ it removed. Chemicals tar less prevalent, if not lass toxic, stayed vr. "It was a political deal-" said a former CPA official, who asked nut to he identified "Companic~ i? Tca~as wear ~erc successrid m remt~cim~ {hydrogen sulfide) from the list because of its presence in the c~-tractir,n of coil because of that and the voting bloc there. "St ;Heels the criteria (for listingi There's m, question it tricots the criteria " y ng:wa Hughes. an FrP:y air-enforcement officer in Dallas, found the defistin~~ inexpfic;tble. "1 ~ou!dn't betie~e the. did that," she ,aid thinl. it was a poor scicntificalh base) de.asion, ~>Kimnrefy poor ~Ce a(l know it is extremely' deadly " ~Fhe curious chars of everts didn't end i? i'~9[> Twc years later, when the F:PA propo.ed that ru.rtinc cmi<sons ~ri hjdro~;en sulfide merely be reported nut controlled it was threatened with a la~csr.:u'n rfrc chemical and paper ~r.dustr.e< The ag<•n.y ha!~ked Down in !994 Htrt,~ne_~'.1 h~. ~t rt~~C^ :unl.l tr.1e I_,rrn ~,;°-~cil .t, an rti~+tie u~rup.iu~ual Iraia+.l urLUic Fume, W~