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Bob and Lisa Parr

United States | Texas | Allison : Aruba Petroleum

Emma Parr and her father Bob began having nosebleeds after moving in to a home surrounded by gas wells.

Bob, Lisa and Emma Parr live in Wise County Texas surrounded by 21 gas wells.

Shortly after moving to the area, Lisa's excellent health began to deteriorate. She began having breathing difficulties, nausea and headaches. She had violent rashes from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet that have left her body scarred with pockmarks.

Six doctors could not find anything physically wrong. She even had a biopsy of the oozing welts on her scalp and the four ping pong size lumps on her neck.

After visiting with her neighbor, Christine Ruggiero, Lisa compared her medical records with Christine's log of spills, releases and air testing from the gas wells on their property. Lisa's medical episodes coincided with the environmental events.

When Lisa started having balance and other neurological problems her doctor recommended she see an environmental specialist whose tests detected chemicals in her blood and lungs that match the results of TCEQ's air sampling

Bob Parr, 50, only had 3 to 5 nosebleeds in his entire life. In the last year he has had about 3 per week. Bob and sever-year-old Emma Parr sometimes have simultaneous nosebleeds. Bob also experiences loss of balance and neurological problems.

Emma Parr was recently diagnosed with asthma. She has also suffered rashes and nausea.

After receiving Lisa's test results, her doctor advised them to leave their home within 48 hours. They are now living at in Bob's office space where there is no drilling nearby. Their health is greatly improved.

For more information:

• Fort Worth Star-Telegram Barnett Shale blog: Parr family sues gas companies over health problems. March 8, 2011
• Wise County Messenger: Flight for survival: toxic emissions force family to leave home. September 23, 2010
• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: Air sampling of the Parr's property. July 2010

Tagged with: wise county, texas, parr, nosebleeds, natural gas, health, asthma