In Flower Mound, Texas, residents called upon the state to investigate an alarming spike in the number of children with leukemia, a form of cancer which affects white blood cell production in the body and compromises one’s immune system. In half a dozen Texas counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, there were higher rates of invasive breast cancer than anywhere else in the state (Rawlins). Some residents and researchers alike attribute this startling health trend to the natural gas industry and its overwhelming presence in the Lone Star state. In fact, Texas ranks number one in natural gas production nationally, and accounted for nearly thirty percent of all of the US’ natural gas production in 2011 (Davis).
Natural gas fracturing or “fracking”
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Fracking involves drilling a hole into the ground and injecting a combination of fluids and chemicals into the shale. The fracking fluid contains upwards of 600 different chemicals (David). The pressure of the fluid is what causes the shale to fracture, then releases natural gas. That fracking fluid is what is really dangerous, as this is what poses the biggest threat, since many of those chemicals are extremely dangerous and some are completely unknown by the public. After the fracking process is complete, the fracking water, known as flowback, which includes water, chemicals and additives, is either collected and transferred to holding-tanks or it is injected back into the ground for storage …show more content…
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently adopted the first federal limits on air emissions from oil and gas, creating New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for certain pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds. In New York, fracking has been banned completely after the release of a revealing seven-year study of drilling practices. The future looks bright, and perhaps, as the need for alternative energy sources becomes more prevalent, the US will adopt safer