Industry Issues: Putting the Heat on Gas (original) (raw)
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Environmental issues related to fracking
The Journal of World Energy Law & Business, 2020
Hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ overlays a major industrial operation on the land in areas where shale and tight hydrocarbon resources can be exploited. Every aspect of the fracking operation can cause environmental damage, although the damage from any individual well is both unlikely and usually fairly limited. Such damage has been extensively documented, giving the impression that fracking activity is bad for the environment. There is no yes or no answer to the question ‘Is fracking harmful to the environment’; rather, it is an issue that must be resolved politically rather than scientifically.
Hydraulic fracturing for natural gas: impact on health and environment
Reviews on Environmental Health, 2016
Shale deposits exist in many parts of the world and contain relatively large amounts of natural gas and oil. Recent technological developments in the process of horizontal hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracturing or fracking) have suddenly made it economically feasible to extract natural gas from shale. While natural gas is a much cleaner burning fuel than coal, there are a number of significant threats to human health from the extraction process as currently practiced. There are immediate threats to health resulting from air pollution from volatile organic compounds, which contain carcinogens such as benzene and ethyl-benzene, and which have adverse neurologic and respiratory effects. Hydrogen sulfide, a component of natural gas, is a potent neuro- and respiratory toxin. In addition, levels of formaldehyde are elevated around fracking sites due to truck traffic and conversion of methane to formaldehyde by sunlight. There are major concerns about water contamination because the chemica...
Springer eBooks, 2021
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Archives of Toxicology, 2020
The use of hydraulic fracturing (HF) to extract oil and natural gas has increased, along with intensive discussions on the associated risks to human health. Three technical processes should be differentiated when evaluating human health risks, namely (1) drilling of the borehole, (2) hydraulic stimulation, and (3) gas or oil production. During the drilling phase, emissions such as NOx, NMVOCs (non-methane volatile organic compounds) as precursors for tropospheric ozone formation, and SOx have been shown to be higher compared to the subsequent phases. In relation to hydraulic stimulation, the toxicity of frac fluids is of relevance. More than 1100 compounds have been identified as components. A trend is to use fewer, less hazardous and more biodegradable substances; however, the use of hydrocarbons, such as kerosene and diesel, is still allowed in the USA. Methane in drinking water is of low toxicological relevance but may indicate inadequate integrity of the gas well. There is a gre...
Environmental Issues of Hydraulic Fracturing Operations
Encyclopedia of Petroleum Geoscience, 2020
High-volume hydraulic fracturing, commonly called "fracking," uses horizontal drilling methods, high-pressure pumps and packers, and liquids to fracture tight oil reservoirs, and specialized chemicals with proppants to enhance extraction of large volumes of natural gas and crude oil from generally low-porosity oil and gas source rocks. The matching of significant technical developments in drilling capabilities, engineering extraction design, drill tool geosteering, and improved deep seismic imaging has created what is referred to as the shale revolution. In the process, enormous amounts of petroleum have been produced from unconventional reservoirs using these techniques. While creating an economic gain and opportunities for oil and gas companies, landowners, some workers and vendors, environmental and socioeconomic challenges remain for those living near the unconventional drilling and production regions. These social and environmental challenges are most notable during massive swings in oil and gas prices creating booms and busts. Although water resources can be compromised by surface spills, large-scale regional degradation of groundwater resources has not been documented, although surface water or specific local water wells have been impacted when in proximity to surface spills of contaminants. Other local concerns such as air quality, noise, odor, and light pollution, land erosion, paleontology and archaeology site destruction, ecological degradation, and habitat fragmentation may occur by drilling or production activities if operators do not provide adequate environmental stewardship. Global climate concerns include greenhouse gas emissions from drilling, production, and using petroleum hydrocarbons.
Over the past decade, concentrations of many anthropogenic pollutants have been successfully reduced, improving air quality. However, a new influx of emissions associated with hydraulic fracturing and shale natural gas operations could be counteracting some of these benefits. Using hourly measurements from Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS) in the Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC areas, we observed that following a period of decline, daytime ethane concentrations have increased signifi- cantly since 2010, growing from ~7% of total measured nonmethane organic carbon to ~15% in 2013. This trend appears to be linked with the rapidly increasing natural gas production in upwind, neighboring states, especially Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Ethane concentrations failed to display this trend at a PAMS site outside of Atlanta, GA, a region without new widespread natural gas operations.
American Public Health Association Policy Statement, 2012
High--volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) in unconventional gas reserves involves injecting sand and fluids into fissures within the earth's crust as a means to enhance the extraction of natural gas from deep geologic formations. This technique has vastly increased the potential for domestic natural gas production and has been promoted as a way to decrease dependence on foreign energy sources, replace dirtier energy sources such as coal, and generate new jobs and economic development. At the same time, HVHF poses potential risks to public health and the environment, including groundwater and surface water contamination, climate change, air pollution, and worker health. This position statement relates to the entire process surrounding HVHF, including site preparation, drilling and casing, well completion, production, transportation, storage and disposal of wastewater and chemicals, and site remediation. The rapid socioeconomic changes, scale of development, and pace of extraction made possible by HVHF present potential direct and indirect health challenges through changes in vehicular traffic and community dynamics, unequal distribution of economic benefits, demands on public services, health care system effects, and increased housing costs. Thus, while natural gas extraction is a long--standing and important part of our nation's energy portfolio,
2013
This report assesses existing research to address the question of whether unconventional gas should be endorsed as a major future energy source, based on its impacts on human health and the climate. Synopsis It’s becoming increasingly clear that Australia needs to change the way it uses energy and many of those changes will be taking place over the next decade. Our current reliance on coal is unsustainable, while Australia’s considerable reserves of unconventional gas - tight, shale and coal seam gas (CSG) - are raising controversy after being flagged as part of a major expansion of the gas industry. This report assesses existing research to address the question of whether unconventional gas should be endorsed as a major future energy source, based on its impacts on human health and the climate. There is considerable lack of information and uncertainty around the health impacts of unconventional gas extraction. However, the potential health impacts associated with fracking chemicals...
Assessing worker exposure to inhaled volatile organic compounds from Marcellus Shale flowback pits
Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 2014
Natural gas drilling sites employing hydraulic fracturing present a potential source of inhalation exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) via the use of flowback pits. These open-air pits are used as a means of storing flowback water, a waste product of hydraulic fracturing, and represent an understudied source of VOC exposure for workers. The objective of this study was to assess this worker exposure and the resulting health risks for 12 VOCs present in flowback water stored in such an open reservoir on a drilling site. Flowback pit VOC mean, 2.5 percentile, and 97.5 percentile concentrations were used to model aqueous phase concentrations, and two models of volatilization were applied to estimate flux to the gas phase. A mass-balance approach was used to estimate gas phase concentrations that were, in turn, used to estimate worker exposure. A literature review was performed to determine VOC health effects, exposure limits, and worker protection methods. Neither model demonstrated an increased risk of adverse effects due to subchronic exposure at the 2.5 percentile and mean concentration values for the 12 VOCs as indicated by hazard quotients, hazard indices, or excess lifetime cancer risks; however, 97.5 percentile hazard indices approached 1 in one model and did demonstrate unacceptable risks in the evaluation of limitations. Either model may apply to worker health assessment depending upon industry practice; however, differing weather conditions, industry practice, and the small number of VOCs evaluated necessitate further research regarding worker risks and health effects.