Horizontal drilling combined with high-volume hydraulic fracturing and clustered multi-well pads are recently combined technologies for extracting oil and natural gas from shale bedrock. As this unconventional extraction method (collectively known as “fracking”) has pushed into more densely populated areas of the United States, and as fracking operations have increased in frequency and intensity, a significant body of evidence has emerged to demonstrate that these activities are inherently dangerous to people and their communities. Risks include adverse impacts on water, air, agriculture, public health and safety, property values, climate stability and economic vitality. Researching these complex, large-scale industrialized activities—and the ancillary infrastructure that supports them—takes time and has been hindered by institutional secrecy. Nonetheless, research is gradually catching up to the last decade’s surge in unconventional oil and gas extraction from shale. A growing body of peer-reviewed studies, accident reports, and investigative articles is now confirming specific, quantifiable evidence of harm and has revealed fundamental problems with the drilling and fracking. Industry studies as well as independent analyses indicate inherent engineering problems including well casing and cement impairments that cannot be prevented. Earlier scientific predictions and anecdotal evidence are now bolstered by empirical data, confirming that the public health risks from unconventional gas and oil extraction are real, the range of adverse impacts significant, and the negative economic consequences considerable. Our examination of the peer-reviewed medical and public health literature uncovered no evidence that fracking can be practiced in a manner that does not threaten human health. Read more here: lm.facebook/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2FConcernedHealthNY.org%2FCompendium%2F&h=KAQF8osb9&enc=AZPa_5-xdM-qsj06_tQSL6_yb6uYep7PoOZfo5ywRBSirBLFCmrWvjIktgwcjerIrlpaBlXmIK48C1_9tD2yoVLkAl2GPUk5-NIJgic1ryI0i9_D9GHzQti9Kn4vfLu-bWC-DgVJBzfBybtGZvtol071&s=1
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 14:46:34 +0000
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