How far will the United States go to reduce its national debt and dependence on foreign oil? It seems like they will do anything, because the topic of fracking is being discussed in several state governments, deeming it okay to start the process. Fracking is simply ridiculous, insane … asinine.
If money and the well-being of our population were playing on a teeter-totter, the well-being of our population should be the side with its feet on the ground — should be.
Our state government – among others – does not seem to look at it this way. It’s more interested in reducing debt and cutting our oil ties, but at what cost? Our elected officials need to take a step back and look at the big picture; the conservation of green paper should not outweigh the conservation of American citizens’ health.
Hydraulic fracturing, a.k.a. fracking, is the process by which sand, water and chemicals are injected at high pressures into the ground to blast open shale rock, releasing the gas trapped inside. Ninety percent of the mixture is water, 9.5 percent of the mixture is sand, and the remaining .5 percent of the mixture is chemicals. These chemicals can contaminate drinking water if something were to go wrong during the fracking process.
These chemicals are very harmful and include ethylene glycol, borate salts, sodium/potassium carbonate, guar gum and isopropanol. These can be found in household items such as all-purpose cleaner, detergent and cosmetics. Last time I checked, those items do not improve the flavor of water, and can cause major negative health effects.
Not to mention that a recent study out of Duke University analyzed private water wells in Pennsylvania, and found methane concentrations to be 17 times higher on average in areas with active shale drilling and extraction than in non-active areas. There have even been reports on faucet water catching on fire when in contact with a flame due to the methane levels. I’m no health analyst, but I can conclude that consuming flammable water is not great for your body.
These chemicals have been linked to causing neurological, pulmonary, gastroenterological, dermatological, hematological, reproductive and genetic problems. Cancer is also a potential effect of the chemicals released from fracking. A section of Louisiana is called “Cancer Alley” because of the high lung and liver cancer rates due to the prevalence of these chemicals.
There are 29 states with fracking bills in some stage of development, and our state is on that list. Just this past week, our senate gave approval to legislation to prepare issuing permits for fracking. These permits will start in March of 2015, so in two year’s time, North Carolina residents ought to clear some room in their refrigerators for bottled water to save themselves from ingesting hazardous chemicals.