The Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing - 806 Words

The impacts of hydraulic fracturing can be hard to analyze due to a lack of data available. The following case studies explored the effects of fracking on animals and humans within areas of hydraulic fracking sites. The case studies were completed in six states in which hydraulic fracturing sites has increased in recent years. These six states are Colorado, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The studies focus on the effects of animals because they may serve as sentinels for human exposure, with shorter lifetimes and more opportunity for data collection from necropsies (Bamberger Oswald, 2012, p.52). The case studies also take into account human exposure within the same area as the animals affected. The first case study in the article observed two homes within a short distance of 25 shale wells. These two homeowners both had farm animals on their property and used well water for their personal water source. Both homeowners reported incidents relating to wastewater exposure for both their animals and humans. One incident was when a truck carrying wastewater drove away from the impoundment site with an open valve, releasing approximately 20 gallons of wastewater onto the impoundment access road(62). The water that was released was also spilled onto a road near one of the homeowners property. Another incident occurred when the barriers for the wastewater impoundment failed causing a spill into a creek. It is believed that this occurrences could haveShow MoreRelatedHydraulic Fracturing And Its Effects On The Environment1467 Words   |  6 PagesHydraulic Fracturing Introduction For this assignment I have chosen to look in to a subject that is in the news media spotlight. The subject is the process of hydraulic fracturing. In this paper, we will learn about this process by answering the following questions. First what is hydraulic fracturing and what is the process used for. 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Companies worked endlessly finding a way to allow shale rocks to release the gas that they held. Companies eventually came up with a practice called hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking; this process utilizes water pressure to fracture or break a rock in order to release and collect fuel such as gas or oil. In recent years, companies have mixed sand, chemic als and other proponents to retrieve the maximum