Dangerous Levels Of Methane Gas Are Leaking All Around Our Nation's Capital

Using portable methane detectors, a team of scientists from Duke University found almost 6,000 leaks from gas utility lines in Washington, D.C. Last year the team alerted the Washington Gas Company that 12 of those leaks were large enough to cause an explosion, and the scientists say that nine of those are still leaking dangerous amounts of methane. In addition to posing a dangerous risk of explosion, these leaks have a huge impact on our environment. As a greenhouse gas, methane is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and it is significantly contributing to global warming. And these Scientists say that DC isn't the only city with thousands of leaks. The team also found more than 3,000 methane leaks in Boston, which means many more cities could have the same problem. For the safety of residents, and our environment, utility companies must repair these methane leaks now.