The natural gas drilling process known as hydrofracking poses far more danger to the environment and health than previously understood, the New York Times has reported.
The paper said its analysis of more than 30,000 pages of federal, state and company records relating to more than 200 gas wells shows that radioactive wastewater from the process is sometimes discharged into rivers that supply drinking water to millions of people in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
At least 12 sewage treatment plants in three states have discharged waste that was only partly treated into rivers, lakes and streams, the Times said. It said the wastewater is sometimes hauled to sewage plants that are not designed to treat it.
Hydrofracking, also called hydraulic fracturing, uses water, particles and chemicals injected underground at high pressure to break up shale and release natural gas.
The process releases naturally occurring carcinogens like benzene and radioactive elements such as radium, the New York Times said, and the hydrofracking fluid itself can also contain carcinogenic materials.
The Times’ criticism of fracking follows closely on the heels of publicity for the documentary Gasland, which was nominated for Sunday’s Academy Awards. It lost to corporate malfeasance exposé Inside Job. But the natural gas industry has been on the defensive against Gasland, with America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) launching a consumer-facing website called The Truth About Gasland.
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