Health Consequences of Extracting transporting and Burning “Natural” Gas. Part 4. Risks of Extraction of Gas by Fracking
Can gas be a “bridge fuel” that provides us energy that is cleaner than coal until we build out renewables? Previously in this series we discussed the human health risks of climate change and addressed the heat trapping effects of leaked methane, which wipe out all the advantages of gas over other fossil fuels. But what if we could plug all those leaks? Would gas be safe then? Unfortunately the direct climate impacts are just the tip of the iceberg.
Approximately one million gas and oil wells have been created using the hydraulic fracture (fracking) technique. These wells account for 79% of the gas and 65% of the oil produced in the United States. A large body of evidence now exists demonstrating the harm that fracking causes to human health, economic stability, and quality of life. These harms are due to the release of toxic chemicals and radioactive material into the air and water during the process. Exhaustive research by my colleagues at Physicians for Social Responsibility and Concerned Health Professionals of NY found no evidence of methods that could reduce the risk of fracking to acceptable levels.
Fracking allows access to fossil fuel deposits that are difficult to reach via vertical drilling alone. This has become the standard practice for extraction in the US. Multiple vertical wellbores are placed close to one another and then turned horizontally. Explosives are used to fracture the shale and then high-pressure liquid injected to liberate the methane and/or oil. The fracking fluid includes large amounts of water and chemical additives for lubrication and prevention of corrosion. The chemical composition of this mix is proprietary and hidden from the public. In addition to the chemicals mixture and the target fossil fuels, fracking releases brine, heavy metals, and radioactive material from the shale.
Drinking water contamination is a serious risk associated with fracking. Methane and fracking chemicals, including carcinogens such as benzene, leak into the ground water through cracks in the rock and contaminate drinking water wells. Fracking operators have been cited for drinking water contamination in Pennsylvania, Texas, and New Mexico. The large volumes of water used for fracking also threaten depletion of ground water supplies for drinking and irrigation. In many states fossil fuel companies are not required to disclose the contents of fracking liquid keeping the public in the dark about the true health risks.
Fracking is also associated with excessive amounts of air pollution. More than 200 airborne contaminants have been found near fracking operations. These include fine particulates, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde and nitrogen oxides, all of which are associated with increased risk of cancer, lung disease, heart disease, neurologic disease, reproductive damage, developmental injury.
These risks are not theoretical. Living in proximity to fracking sites has been shown to be associated with a myriad of health problems including pre-term birth, congenital defects, cancers, and most alarmingly premature death. Pregnant woman and young children are the most vulnerable to the air and water pollution from fracking.
The known health risks of extracting gas via fracking are worrisome enough to compel us to look for alternatives to meet our energy needs. The risks may be higher than we have estimated due to the secrecy surrounding what is actually being used in the fracking mix. This coupled with the known climate effects of burning gas and methane leaks compels us to look for alternatives to meet our electricity generation, heating, and cooking needs. Over the next few weeks I will discuss the risks of cooking with gas in the home, what you can do personally to transition away from gas, and then finally what policies we need in place to make it possible for everyone to do this.
References
1. Concerned Health Professionals of NY, Physicians for Social Responsibility “ Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings, Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking and Associated Gas and Oil Infrastructure (Eighth Edition),“ April 2022.
3. Longxiang Li et al., “Exposure to Unconventional Oil and Gas Development and All-Cause Mortality in Medicare Beneficiaries,” Nature Energy, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00970-y.
Prior articles in this series:
1. General Overview of the Impacts of Extracting, Transporting and Burning Gas