In North Carolina’s Government’s Rush to Allow Fracking and Drilling, What is Missing?
We think a proper full Public Health Assessment.
One of the most obvious things missing from both the Governor’s mansion and the Legislature building is anything remotely related to the public interest. Of course, setting up a pay to play system, one must first clear the runway (purging and modifying regulatory boards and commissions-SB 10), proceed with take off through legislation benefitting the players (SB 76), and of course nullifying the opposition and consequences (stacking the courts). And what is missing in the subsequent rush to frack for natural gas is anything relating to insuring public and environmental health studies in a formal sense.
Anyone elected to public office should readily welcome a proper assessment of any action as it relates to the health and general welfare of the public they are elected to serve. In other states where fracking is becoming an issue to be decided such as New York, assessments and studies have been underway since there is plenty of available data where these extraction processes have been underway. Such studies show there are plenty of issues that need to be determined regarding public health such as revealed in “Chemical and Biological Risk Assessment for Natural Gas Extraction in New York” conducted by the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department at the State University of New York, College at Oneonta. Drawing from that study, there are plenty of things people of North Carolina who will be affected from the hydrofracking process should be told beforehand. Some of the things include but are not limited to the following:
Serious regulatory violations will occur at more than one of every ten new shale gas projects.
More than one in every six shale gas wells will leak fluids to surrounding rocks and to the surface over the next century.
Each gas well pad, with its associated access road and pipeline, will generate a sediment discharge of approximately eight tons a year.
Some chemicals used for shale gas exploration and production, or consistently present in process waste at even low concentrations produce potential exposure effect for humans including poisoning of susceptable tissues, endocrine disruption syndromes and elevated risks for certain cancers.
Exposure to gas field workers and neighbors to toxic chemicals and noxious bacteria is exacerbated by common practices associated with the hydrofracking process and use of impoundments for flowback fluids.
And besides the impact of water aquifers and water wells contaminated by natural gas released into them through the fracking process, what should North Carolinians know about the health threats posed to them, their families and living environment from the chemical and biological hazards posed by the drilling fluid cocktail, flowback fluids, and released naturally occuring radioactive materials?
Drilling Additives:
Friction Reducer-heavy naphtha, polymer microemulsion-lubricate drill head
Biocide-glutaraldehyde, DBNPA, dibromoacetonitrile-prevent fissures, prevent biofilm formation
Scale Inhibitor-ethylene glycol, EDTA, citric acid-prevent scale buildup
Corrosion Inhibitor-propargyl alcohol, N,N-dimethylformamide-prevent corrosion of metal parts
Clay Stabilizer-tetramethylammonium chloride-prevent clay swelling
Gelling Agent-bentonite, guar gum, “gemini quat” anime-prevent slumping of solids
Conditioner-ammonium chloride, potassium carbonate, isopropyl alcohol-adjust pH, adjust additive solubility
Surfactant-2-butoxyethanol, ethoxylated octylphenol-promote fracture penetration
Cross-Linker-sodium perborate, acetic anhydride-promote gelling
Breaker-hemicellulase, ammonium persulfate, quebracho-breaks gel to promote flow-back
Cleaner-hydrochloric acid-of fluid dissolve debris
Processor-ethylene glycol, propylene glycol-strip impurities from produced gas
The chemicals in widespread use including exploratory wells which pose significant hazards to humans and other organisms because they remain dangerous even at concentrations at or below their chemical detection limits include the biocides glutaraldehyde, 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA), and 2,2-dibromoacetonitrile (DBAN), the corrosion inhibitor propargyl alcohol, the surfactant 2-butoxyethanol, and lubricants containing heavy naphtha.
Flowback Fluids:
Barium, Lead, Arsenic, Chromium, and Benzene.
Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (TENORM):
Uranium-238, radium-226, radon-222, 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide-(4-NQO).
As studies have shown in all states that have engaged in this process, the thousands of wells involved, the thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals per well, the thousands of gallons of flowback fluids per well, the thousands of gallons of waste containing radioactive materials, no regulatory processes so far has prevented the thousands of violations and mishaps nor covered the fail rate of the casings. Therefore, there isn’t anything that alleviates the threat to human health.
If you live in North Carolina or have relatives in North Carolina, we call on you to sign this petition requesting the General Assembly to conduct a full Public Health Assessment before allowing this process. For a look at the studies conducted for New York, follow this link.
For working links, access my website here.
or sign my petition here at DU. Thanks all.
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