What is “frac” fluid and why is it scary?

According to Energy in Depth, a lobbying group representing independent oil and gas producers, “frac” fluid is comprised of about 99.5 percent water. The remaining .5 percent of the “frac” fluid is comprised of the following chemicals: Acids, Glutaraldehyde, Sodium Chloride, N, n-Dimethyl formamide, Borate salts, Polyacrylamide, Petroleum distillates, Guar gum, Citric Acid, Potassium chloride, Ammonium bisulfate, sodium or potassium carbonate, Proppant, Ethylene glycol, and Isopropanol. Many of these chemicals are found in everyday consumer goods. http://www.energyindepth.org/frac-fluid.pdf
However, according to environmentalist safety group such as Earthworks, some of the chemicals in “frac” are dangerous even in small quantities. One such chemical is benzene which is linked to cancer. http://www.earthworksaction.org/FracingDetails.cfm. As previously mentioned, approximately ½ of one percent of “frac” fluid is comprised of chemicals with the rest being comprised of water. And only a percentage of that ½ percent is considered harmful. Is there really anything to worry about? For example, low levels of arsenic are found in many of the foods we eat.
Ultimately, it is the handling of this “frac” fluid that is the difference. Irresponsible disposal and use of this fluid is bound to cause trouble. As put by researchers at MIT, “The environmental impacts of shale development are manageable but challenging.”

Hydro Fracturing – What is it?

Hydraulic Fracturing is the process where rock formations deep below the earth’s surface are “fractured” thereby allowing oil and gas to flow more freely from the formation. Think of a solitary river in which water flows. Now think of additional creeks flowing into the river. More water would flow from the river with the creeks than without. That is the concept behind hydraulic fracturing. The fracturing process allows “creeks” of oil and gas to feed into the well where it is pumped to the surface.

To cause the fracturing 100’s of thousands of gallons of water are pumped into the rock formation. Under the pressure the rock formation actually cracks causing oil and gas to flow. Additional additives and chemicals are added to the water which is pumped into the rock formation to facilitate the flow. Because of hydraulic fracturing newly discovered domestic resources are being developed thereby creating new jobs and giving a boost to the economy. Further, natural gas is much cleaner than coal and is considered as a transition fuel until other green technologies become viable. However, the process of “fracing” has come under scrutiny by environmentalists for fear of contamination to the aquifer. The EPA is in the process of conducting a study examining the negative effects, if any, of “fracing”.

Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

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