Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of drilling and injecting a fluid mixture of water, thousands of gallons of chemicals, and sand into the ground at an extremely high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release the natural gas inside. Up to 600 chemicals are used in fracking fluid, including known toxins and carcinogens. Sometimes fracking can happen extremely close to homes or drinking water supplies. There are plenty of health risks such as air pollution, destroying habitats and landscapes, contaminating water supplies, etc. But these can be insignificant compared to the benefits of fracking. Industrial fracking supporters say that water use in the process is managed properly. For example, it is not unusual for …show more content…
The say that fracking air emissions are temporary in nature. (Energy from Shale) Fracking operations use huge amounts of horsepower, normally provided by diesel engines. There are federal, state, and local requirements regarding air pollution that apply to gas operations. According to the Fort Worth Natural Gas Air Quality Study, “the measured and estimated air pollution levels did not reach levels that have been observed to cause adverse health effects.” (Energy from Shale) But critics of fracking continually disagree. To begin, the sand used in the fracking process includes silica dust, which pours out of fracking sites and into the air in large clouds. A recent review of the public health impacts of fracking said that these silica dust clouds have been associated with tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney disease, and autoimmune disease. (Food and Water Watch) It also releases carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, methane, nitrogen dioxide, and other sickness-causing pollutants into the air around communities located by fracking sites. (Food and Water …show more content…
Advanced technology has allowed the natural gas and oil industry to explore these fracking wells, but one question continues to be asked: does fracking cause earthquakes? During hydraulic fracking, the seismic events are less than magnitude minus 2 or 3 on the Richter scale, which is not very high for an earthquake. (Energy from Shale) A hydraulic fracturing study in England found that the combination of geological factors needed to create a higher magnitude earthquake was “extremely rare” and such events would be limited “to around a 3 on the Richter scale as a ‘worst case scenario.” (Energy from Shale) An Oklahoma Geological Survey study on seismicity near hydraulic fracturing activities concluded that it was “impossible to say with a high degree of certainty whether or not these earthquakes were triggered by natural means or by the nearby hydraulic-fracturing operation.” The study did say, however, the events under examination were “small earthquakes with only one local resident having reported feeling them. The earthquakes range in magnitude from 1.0 to 2.8.” (Energy from
Hydraulic fracturing, also called fracking, is a technique designed to release the gas and oil from shale rock hidden underneath earth’s surface. The term fracking itself is referring to the point at which the shale rock is broken open by a high-pressure mixture of water, sand, and chemicals. Oil and gas fracking can be dangerous to the environment and also to humans. “In 2011, energy company Cuadrilla suspended test fracking operations near Blackpool, in Lancashire, after two earthquakes of 1.5 and 2.2 magnitudes hit the area. A subsequent study found it was highly probable that shale gas test drilling triggered the tremors” (BBC). Although these tremors were too small to do any damage above ground, this was still a test drill. If an oil rig were to become operational, the tremors could increase in magnitude, causing significant damage both above ground and underneath the earth’s
The efficiently burning shale gas reduces carbon emission from electricity production plants, reducing carbon footprints on the environment. However, the process of hydraulic fracturing uses millions of gallons of pressurized liquid, which contains toxic chemicals, and some of this water is left over undealt with. The air near fracking sites is often also polluted and unsafe for nearby community residents. Injecting millions of gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals into the rock thousands of feet deep can cause earthquakes, causing a safety hazards for all nearby areas. Hydraulic Fracturing makes rare natural gases easily attainable, boosting the economy and reducing carbon emissions.
There are concerns that fracking could be the causation of earthquakes. In areas where fracking operations occur and earthquakes are not the norm, there has been instances of seismic activity. For example, before 2011, the last seismic activity experienced by small town in Ohio named Youngstown was in 1776, but in a span of months during 2011, more than 100 instances of seismic activity ranging from 2.7 to 3.9 on the Ric...
Current research, in the field of public health, is looking at the adverse health effects of hydraulic fracturing on community members. This research is focused on looking for evidence-based research in processes, procedures, materials and cleanup from drilling and running a well. In recent years, several states such as Maryland and New York, have called for special advisory commissions to examine the potential adverse health implications for the community if the moratoriums are lifted and fracturing is allowed to start. A lot of the previous research conducted focused on the anecdotal perspective of the adverse health effects. This perspective does not offer scientific verification that the fracturing processes are causing them or evidence where the contaminations are coming from.
Ever since the process of hydraulic fracturing—or fracking—made its entrance to the oil industry, issues and problems surrounding the process have become a common occurrence. Fracking is the controversial process of horizontal drilling (see fig. 1), where millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals are pumped deep into an oil well to extract natural gas from the earth’s crust (Ehrenberg 20). This practice has even been banned in some places (see fig. 1). The methane that comes out of the earth and the water used—called fracking fluid—has the potential to cause problems with local ground water supplies. Whether or not fracking is the cause of these problems, concern should be observed during the fracking process to reduce the chances of water contamination among residential areas.
Fracking can cause harm to people, animals, and nature. When they drill into the ground they are pumping chemicals to extract the gas and oil, and this contaminates the water sources around it. “An editorial on gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale in the Post-Star, a newspaper in Glens Falls, New York, contends, “New York state simply can’t take the risk. There are plenty of places to find fuel. It’s not so easy to find a new water supply for 17 million people.”” (Hydrofracking
Although there have been no intensive studies on the drinking water that could be linked to fracturing practices, many people believe it could be harmful to anyone that consumes the water. The EPA and other strong environmentalists are pushing towards more strict regulations on fracking. Contrary to that belief Dr. Charles Goat stated, “drilling for natural gas in itself doesn't pose a threat to air and water quality, if it‘s done properly.” Research has also been done that fracking has little to no impact on the groundwater. Companies also use safeguards to reduce the threat of air contamination from fracking engines and compressors. Local communities and fracking companies work together to reduce noise, traffic, and other environmental factors of fracking. Water is often recycled to use in other fracturing procedures. Fracking companies are working to make fracking less hurtful to the environment and to the local community (Energy from Shal...
Conflicting reports make it difficult to discern just how detrimental the practice is to the environment and people. What is known is that fracking uses phenomenal amounts of water, which is becoming a scarce resource in many parts of the country. There is no doubt that the fluid used in the fracking process contains chemicals, and when released into water supplies has negative effects on these sources. Injection of flowback materials into deep wells has been definitively linked to increased seismic activity. Damage to roads due to the high traffic of trucks shipping equipment and product is astronomical. Worldwide, four countries have outright banned the practice and others are waiting for more research to be done before they continue to allow it. A few states know the devastating side effects that come with the practice, and have banned hydraulic fracturing. While there is no doubt that fracking can produce resources that are used by Americans, there is a lot of doubt as to whether it is safe or not. Hopefully, the country will follow those that have banned the practice, and adopt other safer forms of energy
Before one can see the devastating effects of fracking, one must first understand how fracking works. As previously stated, the main intent of hydro-fracking is to access and harvest natural gas that lies below the surface of the Earth. Having formed over 400 million years ago by the collision of tectonic plates (Marsa 3), the Marcellus Shale plays host to a gold mine of natural gas, which is currently at the center of the fracking debate in the Northeastern region of the United States. Unfortunately, access...
For those of you who do not know what fracking is exactly, it is when water is mixed with sand and chemicals, and then is injected into wells at hi...
Fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks, boreholes, so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas. Fracking is not causing most of the induced earthquakes. Wastewater disposal is the primary cause of the recent increase in central united states. Hydraulic fracturing is more likely to induce earthquakes if there is wastewater being disposed. Not all wastewater injection wells induce earthquakes. Most injection wells are not associated with felt earthquakes.
Fracking is quickly becoming a debatable topic in our society today. The practice involves injecting fluid into the ground to fracture rock in order to release natural gas. It sounds like it would be a safe way to harness fuels in the earth’s surface, but it actually is a danger to our environment. Because of the dangers of fracking, what little fresh water remains on earth is being contaminated. It is also releasing toxins into the airs creating contaminated air and acid rain. Because of the many health and environmental dangers of fracking, it should be stopped immediately to help prevent more worldwide health issues down the road.
Fracking has become a highly controversial and publicized topic due to rising concerns and growing analysis into the mutual benefits of hydraulic fracturing to retrieve natural gas and oil reserves. With concerns of water pollution, mismanagement of toxic waste and irreversible
Numerous reports have been given on the dangerous affects of hydraulic fracturing. One such affect that has been noticed is that drinking water wells near the fracturing sites have been contaminated. During the hydro-fracking process, injected fluids that help to break and keep open the rock bed where the natural gas is kept, have “been known to travel three thousand feet from the well (Goldman).” This fluid could have the potential to enter and contaminate any water well for homes around hydraulic fracturing sites. This incident is one of the major problems that people want to figure out and know about before they allow a fracturing site by them. It has been the most feared outcome of having a fracking site nearby, and it is highly appropriate. One site in Wyoming had this happen, “…in August, EPA reported that eleven of thirty-nine drinking-water wells near a Wyoming hydraulic fracturing operation were contaminated with chemicals used in the fracturing process (Hobson EPA).” In Pennsylvania, another such case occurred, “There have already been severe pollution cases in Pennsylvania, mo...
Fracking is a pressurized, chemically treated mixture of water and sand to release and extract natural gas and petroleum from shale rock. There are many articles, studies being done, and organizations fighting for what they think is right. Environmentalist want the technique of fracking banned because it plays a part in global warming, affects our water, and causes human health problems. If fracking cannot be banned because of its necessity then it should be made safe and eco-friendly. The process involves a well being drilled vertically to the desired depth, then turns ninety degrees and continues horizontally for thousands of feet into the shale believed to contain the trapped natural gas. A mix of water, sand, and various chemicals is pumped into the well at high pressure in order to create fissures in the shale through which the gas can escape. Natural gas escapes through the fissures and is drawn back up the well to the surface, where it is processed, refined, and shipped to market. Flowback returns to the surface after the