![]() Ĭhemical additives are used in the drilling mud, slurries and fluids required for the fracking process. 21, 2011 article in Scientific American, EPA Plans to Issue Rules for Fracking Wastewater, by Nicholas Kusnetz and Pro Publica. In 31% of the samples, silica concentrations exceeded the NIOSH exposure limit by a factor of 10, which means that even if workers were wearing proper respiratory equipment, they would not be adequately protected. All 11 sites exceeded relevant occupational health criteria for exposure to respirable crystalline silica. ![]() The National Institute for Occupational Safety (NIOSH) collected air samples from 11 fracking sites around the country. Sand is a main ingredient used in the fracking process. Reuse: This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.Ī 2007 report prepared for the Western Governor's Association, that inventoried present and future nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions from oil and gas drilling in the west, projects Montana to experience a 310% increase in nitrogen oxide pollution (smog).Ĭrystalline silica, in the form of sand, can cause silicosis (an incurable but preventable lung disease) when inhaled by workers. The Environmental Protection Agency's maximum healthy limit is 75 parts per billion. The Associated press recently reported that Wyoming's air quality near rural drilling sites is worse than Los Angeles'-with Wyoming ozone levels recorded at 124 parts per billion compared to the worst air day of the year for Los Angeles, at 114 parts per billion. Some of the pollutants released by drilling include: benzene, toluene, xylene and ethyl benzene (BTEX), particulate matter and dust, ground level ozone, or smog, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and metals contained in diesel fuel combustion-with exposure to these pollutants known to cause short-term illness, cancer, organ damage, nervous system disorders and birth defects or even death. NOAA scientists found the Weld County gas wells to be equal to the carbon emissions of 1-3 million cars.Ī number of other air contaminants are released through the various drilling procedures, including construction and operation of the well site, transport of the materials and equipment, and disposal of the waste. A recent study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) monitoring gas wells in Weld County, Colorado, estimated that 4 percent of the methane produced by these wells is escaping into the atmosphere. ![]() Methane is a main component of natural gas and is 25 times more potent in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Provenance: From This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license. Air pollution also extends beyond the immediate drilling site and transportation route, since a by-product of natural gas drilling is methane gas, one of the worst greenhouse gas pollutants contributing to climate change. Transport of the waste poses a contamination risk outside the actual well location. Storage for the waste water can take place either on site, in an injection well, or in open air ponds in the surrounding areas. Since each well can require up to 8 million gallons of water, and up to 40,000 gallons of chemicals, a well site may need up to 2000 tanker truck trips, per frack. The well location where drilling takes place is only one piece of the frack puzzle.
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