Hydraulic Fracturing Research Paper

Hydraulic Fracturing What is Hydraulic Fracturing? Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” is a process in which oil and gas companies drill into the ground to extract natural gas from the shale rock that lays thousands of feet under the earth’s surface. Extracting the gas is a very complicated process that involves drilling down to the depth of the formation of rock using horizontal drilling. Then millions of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals are pumped underground to break apart the rock and release the natural gas. The environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing in the United States consist of serious health effects to the general public. Theses effects include: poor air quality and contaminating groundwater, as

Legislation also exempted fracking from the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act. It is because of this that hydraulic fracking uses up to 300 tons of a mixture of 750 chemicals in every well. Some of these chemicals emit vapors that can cause eye irritation, headache, and fatigue. Also, in many cases, a high enough dose can be fatal. BTEX compounds, which are made up of benzene, toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene, are extremely dangerous. These chemicals are mentioned as hazardous in the Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. The component Benzene is among one of the most harmful. It has been proven to be carcinogenic. It is linked to other long-term effects such as bone marrow failure. The short-term effects of this drug include dizziness, weakness, headache, breathlessness, chest constriction, nausea, and vomiting. Diesel fuel, also listed as hazardous, may cause redness, itching, burning, severe skin damage and cancer if within contact of skin. Lead, which is harmful to children and Hydrogen fluoride, whose fumes are highly poisonous, pose problems as well. Sulfuric acid, which is corrosive to all body tissues, may cause lung damage and loss of vision. Many more hazardous chemicals are used in hydraulic fracturing. Some chemicals that are used in the fracturing process, but are unidentified

This is the result of open-air pits where the waste fluid is stored and from which the compounds eventually evaporate. A major concern of fracking is the contamination of water. Primarily this is due to leaks and the spilling of fracking fluid. Many people that live around fracking wells have reported that since drilling began their water was discolored, flammable, and “had a chemically smell.” All of these people refuse to drink the unfit water and are forced to buy and transport water from other locations. The fracking industry says that the water is safe for drinking, but when they are asked to drink it themselves they refuse. Many of these people also report that their health decreased around the same time as fracking occurred. They suffer from headaches, vomiting, dizziness and nausea at all times of the day. These health issues are most likely the result of inhaling air that is itself toxic due to chemical contamination. Some people choose to relocate; however, others believe that it’s their land and they should be able to live on it without harm. People and communities affected by fracking continue to fight for their