FRACKING: Pennsylvania Gags Physicians

FRACKING: Pennsylvania Gags Physicians (Part 1 of 3) by Walter Brasch, March 18, 2012, The Moderate Voice
Over the expected lifetime of each well, companies may use as many as nine million gallons of water and 100,000 gallons of chemicals and radioactive isotopes within a four to six week period. The additives “are used to prevent pipe corrosion, kill bacteria, and assist in forcing the water and sand down-hole to fracture the targeted formation,” explains Thomas J. Pyle, president of the Institute forEnergy Research. However, about 650 of the 750 chemicals used in fracking operations are known carcinogens, according to a report filed with the U.S. House of Representatives in April 2011. Fluids used in fracking include those that are “potentially hazardous,”…. Thus, physicians are faced by conflicting legal and professional considerations. “The confidentiality agreements are worrisome,”…. The legal and financial resources of the natural gas corporations are far greater than those of individuals, and they can stall and outspend most legal challenges.