AS A concerned local resident, I suggest that Dr Sylvester (Mailbox, September 18) is being disingenuous in asserting, perhaps without checking, that there is no evidence base connecting underground coal gasification (UCG) with leukemia and other health-damaging conditions.

Authoritative evidence of UGC-contaminated groundwater and human health consequences is not difficult to find.

Underground coal gasification involves in situ coal-seam combustion with steam and limited oxygen to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide as a fuel or chemical feed-stock. 

This process is well known to produce benzene and other hydrocarbons as “by-products” but sub-surface containment close to high temperature combustion products and potentially explosive gas mixtures is a major hazard with the added risk of “blow-back” of toxic liquids that no level of regulation could eliminate. 

Far from being “deceitful”, “misleading”, “irresponsible” or “unethical”, the leaflet provides a timely wake-up call for Wirral residents to become aware of the scientific evidence of serious health and environmental consequential risks of UCG and other “unconventional” gas extraction technologies. The evidence is increasingly solid and our community needs to become much better informed. 

Dr Denis Hall by email.