Fracking and the Natural Gas “Boom” — No National Standards, Secrecy, and Carcinogens

Fracking and the Natural Gas “Boom” — No National Standards, Secrecy, and Carcinogens by Don Lieber, Septemeber 7, 2012, Planet Save
“…millions of gallons of wastewater laced with carcinogens are dumped in open-air reservoirs that can leak and contaminate drinking water. Some people living nearby say they suffer from migraines, dizziness, nausea, asthma, burning eyes, and fainting.” Fracking involves the use of some of the most toxic and carcinogenic chemicals and pollutants used in any industry: benzene, toluene, methane, and many more. ….“Only half the states where fracking occurs have even taken the simple step of requiring companies to disclose the chemicals they use in fracking fluid. And in eight of those states, companies can withhold any information they decide is confidential.” Thus, the powerful natural gas industry operates freely, despite the immense human health risks associated with the process. And while gas industry executives insist — as did their predecessors in the tobacco and other industries in years past — that their industry is safe, the facts (like the chemicals they use) leak out eventually: The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has confirmed methane from improperly constructed gas wells has contaminated people’s drinking water — and created a risk of fire or explosion in people’s homes and water wells. Duke University scientists recently confirmed “methane contamination in drinking water” in New York and Pennsylvania directly associated with nearby fracked wells. Officials in Wyoming have confirmed Benzene near fracked sites in Wyoming at levels far exceeding national safety standards. [Emphasis added]