Hydrofracking Chemicals and Water - Part #1

Hydrofracking is a relatively new method of retrieving natural gas that involves drilling thousands of feet vertically, passing through the water table, and then horizontally thousands of feet through shale where gas is trapped in tiny pockets. Millions of gallons of water are mixed with chemicals and are pumped underground at high pressure to fracture the shale, releasing the gas. The Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 exempted gas companies from the oversight of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Air Act and despite their claims that the chemicals used in the fracking process are safe, companies have consistently refused to make public comprehensive lists of the chemicals used.

In 2011 the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce asked 14 Oil and Gas companies to provide information on the names and volumes of products used over a five year period (2005-2009). For each fracturing product reported, the companies were also asked to provide the MSDS (material safety and data sheet) that OSHA  (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires. Under OSHA rules, chemical manufacturers can withhold the identity of chemical components that they deem to be “trade secrets”. This proprietary information belongs to the manufacturers, not the users of the chemicals, thus gas companies have only limited information about the products they purchase from vendors, mix with other products, and pump underground.

A report entitled, “Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracturing”

is a result of this federal study. It is the first comprehensive national inventory of the chemical products used by gas companies during the fracking process in over thirteen states. Here is the link to read the original committee report.

It is an eye opener!

Below is a summary of the findings of the Committee:

“In the five year period studied, the 14 leading oil and gas service companies used more than 780 million gallons of hydraulic fracturing products, not including water (my emphasis) added at the well site. Overall, the companies used more than 2,500 hydraulic fracturing products containing 750 different chemicals and other components. More than 650 of these products contained chemicals that are known or possible human carcinogens, regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, or listed as hazardous air pollutants”

“The components used in the hydraulic fracturing products ranged from generally harmless to extremely toxic substances, such as benzene and lead.”

“29 of the chemicals are known or possible human carcinogens, regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for their risks to human health, or listed as hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.”

“The BTEX compounds – Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene,  – are SDWA contaminants and hazardous air pollutants. Benzene also is a known human carcinogen. Chronic exposure to toluene, ethylbenzene, or xylenes can damage the central nervous system, liver, and kidneys. BTEX compounds appeared in 60 hydraulic fracturing products used between 2005 and 2009 and were used

in 11.4 million gallons of products of fracturing fluids.”

“Fracturing Companies injected more than 30 million gallons of diesel fuel or hydraulic fracturing fluids containing diesel fuel in wells in 19 states. In a 2004 report, EPA stated that the  ‘use of diesel fuel in fracturing fluids poses the greatest threat to underground sources of drinking water’.

“Methanol, [ read for yourself the health effects of this poison] which was used in 342 hydraulic fracturing products, was the most widely used chemical. The substance is hazardous and is on the candidate list for potential regulation under SDWA. Isopropyl alcohol, 2-butoxyethanol, and ethylene glycol [commonly used in anti-freeze, de-icing solutions, and brake fluid] were the other most widely used chemicals.”

Many of the hydraulic fracturing fluids purchased by the gas companies contain chemical components that are listed as “proprietary” or “trade secret.” The companies used 94 million gallons of 279 products that contained at least one chemical or component that the manufacturers deemed proprietary or a trade secret. In these cases, it appears that the companies are injecting fluids containing unknown chemicals about which they may have limited understanding of the potential risks posed to human health and the environment. (My emphasis)

Upon release of the report, Chairman of the Committee, Henry Waxman said, “This report shows that these companies are injecting millions of gallons of products that contain potentially hazardous chemicals, including known carcinogens. “ 

Diana Degette a member of the committee from Colorado stated, “It is deeply disturbing to discover the content and quantity of toxic chemicals, like benzene and lead, being injected into the ground without the knowledge of the communities whose health could be affected.”

Ian Urbina reporting in The New York Times on the release of the report stated…. “The use of these chemicals has been a source of concern to regulators and environmentalists who worry that some of them could find their way out of a well bore — because of above-ground spills, underground failures of well casing or migration through layers of rock — and into nearby sources of drinking water.”

End of Part 1 … to be continued next week.

Bans and Moratoria update: The number of towns that have invoked home rule by passing moratoriums, bans, or have legislation pending stands at 134. When the towns within the New York City and Syracuse watersheds that are protected by the DEC watershed protection provisions are added the total to date is 206!  This last week Niagara Falls passed a citywide ban on fracking and accepting fracking wastewater in their water treatment facility, thus protecting a huge amount of the planets fresh water by stopping residual fracking wastewater from being discharged into the Niagara River and Lake Ontario! They also passed a resolution to Governor Cuomo stating fracking should be banned in all of New York State.