The study analyzed 12 chemicals that are used in fracking; called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that mimic testosterone and estrogen.
Surface ground water was sampled from Garfield and Boone counties in Missouri.
After tests, researchers concluded that EDCs were present in higher levels than should be detectible.
Susanne Nagel, co-author of the study explained how EDCs lead to future health risks.
Nagel said: “With fracking on the rise, populations may face greater health risks from increased endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure. Fracking is exempt from federal regulations to protect water quality, but spills associated with natural gas drilling can contaminate surface, ground and drinking water. We found more endocrine-disrupting activity in the water close to drilling locations that had experienced spills than at control sites. This could raise the risk of reproductive, metabolic, neurological and other diseases, especially in children who are exposed to EDCs.”
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NLEHS) explained that “endocrine disruptors are naturally occurring compounds or man-made substances that may mimic or interfere with the function of hormones in the body […] These chemicals are found in many of the everyday products we use, including some plastic bottles and containers, liners of metal food cans, detergents, flame retardants, food, toys, cosmetics, and pesticides.”
Last month in Colorado, the cities of Boulder, Lafayette and Fort Collins have banned hydraulic fracturing (fracking) from being performed in their territories.
The moratorium on fracking in New York, with Colorado following suit which is essentially drawing battle lines over energy extraction and production in this country.
The oil and natural gas industry $900,000 to try to thwart the vote in favor of their continued profits gain; however the people’s voice was heard and the moratorium was placed.
The COGA blame media for swinging the electoral vote in favor of the ban.
Social and environmental groups have shown a light on the dangers of fracking to the planet and local communities.
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) regards the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) as a viable means to extract the estimated 3,820 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas by October of 2013.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a report last July entitled, “An Overview of Unconventional Oil and natural Gas: Resources and Federal Actions” that outlines America’s rise to become the world’s largest natural gas producer by 2009.
Wei Gan, senior research scientists for the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) found that the injection of carbon dioxide into the ground to extract petrol and natural gas is a contributing factor to a series of recent earthquakes near Snyder, Texas.
In 2012, geophysicists from Stanford University discovered that the process of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) would cause earth quakes and would not be a viable long-term solution to extracting petrol and natural gas.
Gan’s study states that “underground injection of large volume gas caused earthquakes in Snyder . . . [and] also highlights the point that in other fields, the same rate of injection did not trigger any comparable quakes, reinforcing the idea that underground gas injection does not trigger seismic events in different geological settings.”
Seismic data from 2009 – 2010 was provided by the EarthScope USArray program (ESUSA) which showed that 93 earthquakes had been recorded in the Cogdell region.
The average magnitude of earthquake was 3 on the Richter scale.
Wayne Pennington, interim dean of the College of Engineering at Michigan Technological University (MTU) said : “The bottom line here is, as Gan suspected, carbon dioxide injection under high enough pressures and with high enough volume could induce seismicity just like any other fluid at high enough pressures and with high enough volume. We see (quakes) fairly often with water injection. We know that that can often trigger seismic events and sometimes those can be quite large. So, it isn’t really a surprise that carbon dioxide injection does the same thing. Now the element of mystery is gone.”
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