Fracking Contaminates Our Water, Environment, And Lives

Dangers Of Fracking To Our Communities

There have been much news of the toxic effects of fracking within our communities. Although big oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Halliburton, BP, etc. would refute it, there are studies conducted by the EPA to support toxic chemicals found in surface and ground water resources near fracking areas. These contaminations occurred from routine activities of fracking, and accidents such as spills of hydraulic fracturing fluid and produced water that have reached drinking water resources.

What Is Fracking And Its Dangers?

Fracking is short for hydraulic fracturing. It is a destructive natural gas and oil extraction process from deep, underground rock formation. Large corporations drill wells at extreme pressure, and inject millions of gallons of fracking fluids (a combination of sand, water, and fracking fluids) to fracture rocks in order to extract oil and gas.

From the process of well drilling to the toxic waste produced, fracking imposes much danger to the water supply and health of our communities. Problems associated with fracking are as follows:

• Water supply contamination from fracking accidents, leaks, and spills poison drinking water, rivers, streams, and aquifers. These toxins and radioactive materials such as arsenic, strontium, selenium, and barium pose health risks to families, and wildlife in the area.
• Pollutants such as methane and other hydrocarbon gases are released into the atmosphere, causing cancer and other serious diseases.
• Enornous amounts of methane gas released traps more heat in the atmostphere than carbon dioxide, which creates climate instability.
• Fracking increases more cost for communities, as it significantly affects the health of the people, damage roads, decrease property value, and is taxing on emergency services.
• The hydraulic pressure applied to rocks create artificial cracks in the ground, thus promoting earthquakes

Should fracking continue, it would be at the detriment of our communities, environment, and infrastructure. For these reasons, it is imperitive that we stand up against fracking, and pursue alternative fuels and energy sources. Dangers of Fracking video . We need to preserve the health of all living things, and our ecosystem. Join the movement to ban fracking in our communities so we do not become another Flint, Michigan.