Frack Off

Fracking, when I first heard the term used in class a few days ago I thought it was a synonym for fucking. I wasn’t the only one that initially thought this at first. Boy, were we were we wrong. Looking back I find my immature ignorance quit humorous. I decided to do some research on the topic for my own enlightenment. Fracking is actually a term used to refer to Hydraulic fracturing, the propagation of fractures in a rock layer caused by the presence of a pressurized fluid. This is done in order to release petroleum, natural gas, coal seam gas, or other substances for extraction such as oil. The fluid injected into the rock is typically a slurry of water and chemical additives. Additionally, gels, foams, and compressed gases, including nitrogen, carbon dioxide and air can be injected. About 750 chemicals have been listed as additives for hydraulic fracturing in a report to the US Congress in 2011.

 This doesn’t sound very harmful however; it was brought to my attention that environmental concerns with hydraulic fracturing include the potential contamination of ground water, risks to air quality, the potential migration of gases and hydraulic fracturing chemicals to the surface, the potential mishandling of waste, and the health effects of these. A Duke University study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2011 examined methane in groundwater in Pennsylvania and New York states overlying the Marcellus Shale and the Utica Shale. It determined that groundwater tended to contain much higher concentrations of methane near fracking wells. Directed by Congress, the U.S. EPA announced in March 2010 that it will examine claims of water pollution related to hydraulic fracturing.

Many people have already taken protest and formed anti-fracking groups such as the cleverly named frack off. What do you say is this a major environmental concern? Do we need to take action before it’s too late or is all the hype just an overreaction? I don’t know about you but I surely do not want to be drinking water that contains methane and an assortment of other hazardous chemicals.