Hydraulic fracturing, or better known as fracking, is a process of extracting natural gas from shale rock by drilling into the ground and injecting chemicals and other liquids that are highly pressurized (https://www.what-is-fracking.com/).
- Fracking liquid, which is injected into the ground, contains up to 600 chemicals such as lead, mercury, methanol, and formaldehyde.
- Current wells require a total of 72 trillion gallons of water and 360 billion gallons of chemicals in order to operate.
- Groundwater is contaminated by these chemicals as they leach out of the system.
- Contaminated well water has dangerous consequences for those who drink it. These consequences include neurological, sensory and respiratory damage.
- Approximately 50-70% of the fracking liquid is left in the ground
- Harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released into our air after the waste fluid is left to evaporate. This results in contaminated air, acid rain and the creation of ground level ozone.
This system of hydraulic fracturing is linked to environmental detriment, as harmful chemicals are expelled into both the air and into water systems. This will create health issues for people and animals alike and in addition, the chemicals have been found to contribute to ground level ozone. This negatively impacts our environment by acting as an agent of climate change.
