In routine testing done by Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) traces of four toxic chemicals benzene, xylene, ethylbenzene and toluene were found in their wells.
Company spokesman Paul Zealand says it is a mystery how the chemicals got there as the products that they use do not contain these chemicals.
This has led to renewed cries to scrap testing for the extraction of coal seam gas in southern Queensland. The cancer causing chemicals were found in eight exploration wells. These hydraulic fractured wells were located in the Surat Basin near Miles. Environmentalists are now calling for a moratorium on coal seam gas projects everywhere.
The Australia Pacific LNG project has been suspended as of now while the state government has requested for some independent testing to be carried out. BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene) is the same chemical group that infiltrated Cougar Energy's underground coal gasification site in Kingaroy earlier this year.
Drew Hutton the spokesperson for Friends of the Earth, an environmental group, said that the government was allowing an uncontrolled experiment on the environment by approving such coal seam gas drilling. He wanted the drilling to be suspended till impact of the process was determined.