Fracked Gas

Contamination from fracking

Although methane is marketed under the name “natural gas,” there is nothing natural about the way it is extracted using hydraulic horizontal fracturing, or fracking. In the fracking process, a complex mix of chemicals, many of which are toxic, and silica sand are added to millions of gallons of clean water. That contaminated water is forced underground at extremely high pressure, fracturing deep underground bands of rock where small bubbles of methane are found. The bubbles of methane, along with other naturally occurring dangerous gases and much of the contaminated water, are brought back to the surface.

The result: toxic air pollution and toxic threats to local drinking water. A burgeoning literature of scientific and medical studies shows increases in serious health outcomes associated with living near fracking sites.

Pipelines transport toxics

It’s not only communities located near fracking sites that suffer health consequences from fracking. An extensive network of pipelines crisscrosses the U.S., carrying fracked gas through other communities hundreds of miles from fracking sites. These pipelines and related infrastructure exposing these communities to accidental leaks, deliberate releases of gas known as “blowdowns,” and sometimes even devastating explosions.