Health Benefits Of Fracking

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Recommended: The Importance of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” involves injecting massive amounts of water, chemicals, sand and other materials under high pressure into shale formations to break the rock and release the gas trapped inside (McGlynn, 2011). Fracking has been in use since 1947, but only recently has the term fracking entered the public’s vocabulary (Energy In Depth, n.d.). Although there are some benefits, fracking also causes many risks. One of the biggest concerns today are the health issues that affect both humans and animals.
Body
Fracking includes pumping a combination of sand, water, and various chemicals into a well at high pressure so that it can break through the rocks containing the gas, allowing it to escape. Then wastewater returns to the surface and stored in steel tanks (Conserve Energy Future, 2015).
Kentucky’s Acorn Fork Creek was an excellent habitat for the Blackside dace, a small colorful minnow protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) because it is a threatened species. In 2007 fracking wastewater that was being stored in open air puts overflowed into Kentucky’s Acorn Fork Creek and left an orange-red substance that contaminated the creek. The toxic waste killed all aquatic wildlife in a portion of the fork. The dead and distressed fish had developed gill lesions and suffered liver and spleen damage (EcoWatch, 2014).
Conclusion
There are multiple studies that show that air pollution and water contamination from fracking threatens the health of nearby humans and animals. Where possible, ongoing unconventional oil and gas development should be put on hold to conduct comprehensive health assessments before determining whether or how these technologies should be allowed to proceed. In areas where fracking is on-going should have strong safeguards to control emissions and limit

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