by Sarah B.
Polluted Water in Philadelphia: Fracking may not be as safe as it is expected to be.
People in Philadelphia are encountering problems with their well water. Researchers say that the natural gas drilling operations taking place near by may be the cause of this mishap.
Hydraulic fracturing, “fracking”, is a technique used by drillers to obtain natural gas. Drilling companies send a mixture of chemicals about a mile underground at high pressure, breaking (fracturing) the rock, and causing the natural gas to be released. This method is said to be safe, but lately there have been reasons to doubt that. Chemicals have been found in eleven of Philadelphia’s thirty-nine water wells that could potentially cause cancer, kidney failure, anemia, and fertility problems.
Some of the leading evidence found to show that gas drilling is the cause of the water problems is the discovery of 2-butoyethanol (2-BE). 2-BE is used in oil drilling as a solvent in natural gas extraction. When injested, it is a chemical that researchers say leads to the break down of red blood cells, as well as damage to the liver, kidney, and bone marrow.
EnCana, a gas drilling company, has stopped using 2-BE because of its possible negative health effects.
Some drillers, including EnCana, are not required to make known the chemicals they use while fracking. This is because of an exception they have from the Safe Drinking Water Act. A bill was sent to Congress this June to change that. If this bill is passed, it will require that all fracking chemicals be disclosed.
The town of Pavillion is also encountering problems. “People have built their lives and businesses here. What’s it all worth now?” asks John Fenton, a farmer in the town. The water in his town has been deemed contaminated, and so the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised that the water not be drank.
The true cause of the water contamination is yet to be discovered. For the time being, EnCana is working with the Environmental Protection Agency to identity other possible causes.
