Fracking is a process of extracting oil and gas from shale rock. The process involves drilling into the ground and pressing a high-pressure combination of water, sand, and chemicals into the ground to release the gas. It has been successfully used in the U.S. Several drilling procedures have produced over 7 billion barrels of oil and more than 600 cubits of gas (Brantley et al., 2018). On average, the process can take five days to be completed. Once the fracturing process is accomplished, the well is considered “completed” and is now ready to release oil or gas for years to come, according to Brantley et al. (2018). Fracking is a major activity in the American superpower story that has fostered vital benefits nationwide. Through this process, the unemployment rate has been reduced, energy prices have decreased, and a clean air environment has been promoted by reducing greenhouse gases (Brantley et al., 2018). The advancement of technology to cater to vertical and horizontal fracking has significantly contributed to increasing gas and oil extraction in the U.S. in recent years.
Natural gas is one of the largest sources of the world’s energy contributing to approximately 24% of the energy sources. A central shale rock layer is found in Marcellus in the United States. This rock lies underneath New York and Virginia. Brantley et al. (2018) mention that the fracking process consumes high amounts of fracking fluids comprising water, sand, and a mixture of chemicals pressed underground to break the shale rock layers with the required gasses. Approximately twenty million liters of water are consumed in every fracking well during the hydraulic process (Hill, 2022). In recent years, technological advancement has made gas extraction feasible. However, some side effects of this process are harmful to people’s health. The water bodies around the drilling sites are highly affected. According to Hill (2022), research has shown that eleven chemicals used in the hydraulic process are categorized under endocrine disruptors. These chemicals can majorly destroy a person’s hormonal system and cause cancer. UNEP also ascertained that three-quarters of the chemicals used in the hydraulic process could adversely affect a person’s sensory organs, respiratory system, immune system, and endocrine system (Brantley et al., 2018). Further, a number of the reported chemicals were found to be carcinogenic and mutagenic.
Over the years, findings have continually claimed that there is more gas in water wells situated near drilling sites. In Pennsylvania, many lawsuits have been filed against fracking companies for contaminating the water supply for the people (Hill, 2022). Researchers have detected methane in several water samples from water sources around 1 kilometer from a gas drilling site (Brantley et al., 2018). Preferential flow via fractures gives way to the movement of chemicals from fractured shale to water bodies. There is adequate evidence to ascertain that natural vertical flow transports contaminants toward the surface. In situations where more significant components of methane were traced in water bodies situated around one kilometer from the drilling site, researchers show potential ways leading to this occurrence to include contaminants transport via the rocks, fractures, faults, and open boreholes (Hill, 2022). When a drilling company uses broken or faulty equipment, they will release unwanted substances from the fracking process into the water flow. Many drilling companies have embraced cementing and sealing (Brantley et al., 2018). The role of the steel casing and cement application is to prevent any gasses found within the rocks from spreading into the surrounding. Any faultiness in the casing will allow unwanted gasses and contaminants to penetrate into the water flow (Hill, 2022).
Many studies have concluded that the possibility of water pollution around drilling sites is adequately higher than sites not located near the sites (Brantley et al., 2018). However, when the hydraulic process is operated and maintained rightly, it should not cause any harmful effects on the ecosystem. Also, lethargy and negligence contaminate the water supply near drilling sites (Hill, 2022). Indeed, countries do not have sufficient laws and regulations that control the hydraulic process. This means that water supply contamination does not exist yet at high levels. According to Brantley et al. (2018), a primary byproduct of the drilling process includes flow-back waste mixtures that can be harmful to the air and soil if no proper disposal is administered.
Furthermore, many fracking companies secretly dispose of their waste products, including fluids, into water bodies, which people use as drinking water sources. A study has shown that 47% of fracking sites were founded in water basins with high water stress, further implying the need for reform governing disposal rules (Brantley et al., 2018). In 2004, the U.S. Environmental Agency further stated that the hydraulic process posed no danger to the water supply (Brantley et al., 2018). This statement gave the drilling fracking companies more power to continue spilling contaminants into water bodies. During this time, the health of many was put in danger, with hundreds suffering from respiratory and waterborne diseases (Hill, 2022). Later, it was found that industrial and political pressures influenced this statement issued by the EPA.
When the water, which is mixed with chemicals and sand for fracking, comes back to the surface, the water has a possibility of containing heavy metals and radioactivity. This water is often disposed of reluctantly without the sense of protecting the people’s water supply. The wastewater containing these metals should be first contained in tanks before being disposed of or cleaned up for re-uses. Nevertheless, many fracking companies dispose of it (Brantley et al., 2018). If an individual consumes these metals while drinking the water, the human body cannot discharge them, and they continue amassing inside the body. These metals can lead to major long-lasting issues, mainly in the brain. They can reduce mental and central nervous function (Hill, 2022). also, this can cause more harm to the kidneys, liver, or lungs which later can cause cancer. Young children are at a high risk of being affected by these harmful metals because their bodies develop, as stipulated by Brantley et al. (2018). When the metals keep accumulating, children may develop problems with learning and memory impairment problems, which may also result in hyperactivity.
In conclusion, even though fracking can provide more oil and gas resources to a country, drilling permanently negatively affects the environment. Soil, air, and water are contaminated byproducts of the process. This is because the process uses toxic chemicals. These chemicals majorly affect the water bodies located one kilometer from the drilling sites. When people use contaminated water, the toxic chemicals can lead to problems in the respiratory, hormonal, immune, and endocrine systems. Also, the heavy metals emitted from the process can cause cancer, especially in children. Although some countries have set rules and regulations governing fracking, many countries have not enacted them. However, many fracking companies violate these laws. Therefore, states need to build and implement laws that will ensure the safety of water bodies around the fracking sites.
References
Brantley, S. L., Vidic, R. D., Brasier, K., Yoxtheimer, D., Pollak, J., Wilderman, C., & Wen, T. (2018). Engaging over data on fracking and water quality. Science, 359(6374), 395–397. https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.aan6520
Hill, E. L., & Ma, L. (2022). Drinking water, fracking, and infant health. Journal of Health Economics, p. 82, 102595. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167629622000157
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