Hydraulic fracturing releases over 29 carcinogens

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is a process that results in the creation of fractures in rocks. The fracturing is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations to increase the rate and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Hydraulic fractures may be natural or man-made and are extended by internal fluid pressure which opens the fracture and causes it to extend through the rock. Natural hydraulic fractures include volcanic dikes, sills and fracturing by ice as in frost weathering. Man-made fluid-driven fractures are formed at depth in a borehole and extend into targeted formations. The fracture width is typically maintained after the injection by introducing a proppant into the injected fluid. Proppant is a material, such as grains of sand, ceramic, or other particulates, that prevent the fractures from closing when the injection is stopped.

Considerable controversy surrounds the current implementation of hydraulic fracturing technology in the United States. Environmental safety and health concerns have emerged and are being debated at the state and national levels.

I hadn’t heard the term “fracking” or if I had I didn’t think it important to my life.  After reading this story, however, I understand how important it could be to a lot of people.

This is yet one more reason why we must find alternate sources of energy before it is simply too late, although a recent report suggests that this process may be a good first step.

Here is the story summary from our friends at Newser:

Hydraulic fracturing blasts at least 29 carcinogens and other hazardous chemicals deep into the earth to break up shale formations and get at oil and natural gas, says a new report released yesterday by House Democrats. Known as fracking, the industry used 780 million gallons of drilling fluids between 2005 and 2009, reports the Wall Street Journal. Ingredients ranged from the dangerous to the mundane, including citric acid, salt, coffee grounds, and walnut shells. “It is deeply disturbing to discover the content and quantity of toxic chemicals, like benzene and lead, being injected into the ground without the knowledge of the communities whose health could be affected,” says Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette.

The petroleum industry and government regulators have been at odds over revealing the chemicals involved in fracking, with the industry claiming that the information is proprietary. “[T]he only way that’d be relevant in a public-health context is if those materials were somehow finding their way into potable water supplies underground,” says an industry spokesman, adding “they aren’t, don’t, and according to regulators, never have.”

The most widely used chemical in fracking during this period was methanol, a hazardous air pollutant, the report shows. The Democratic study was reported earlier by the New York Times.

“Hydraulic fracturing has opened access to vast domestic reserves of natural gas that could provide an important stepping stone to a clean energy future,” according to the report. “Yet questions about the safety of hydraulic fracturing persist, which are compounded by the secrecy surrounding the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids.”

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