The Need, Risks And Impacts - 1396 Words

FRACKING-â€Å"The Need, Risks and Impacts† Hydraulic Fracking, which is the extraction of natural gas which was earlier protected, has become a major problem today. It is an environmental as well as a health hazard. The large firms which are linked to fracking have tried to justify fracking by citing that the benefits of it outweigh the harm that it might potentially cause. But before buying that argument, it is important for us to understand if the idea of fracking is really good for a long term scenario. While we may be tempted to opt for convenience over longevity, we need to be really careful aboutthe future. This technique is not new but rather known from 1940s; but only in the last ten years there has been a fracking boom especially in†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ In Pennsylvania, Ohio, south and eastern Texas, Arkansas, northern Colorado and Montana, fracking can use more than 9 million gallons of water. The EPA estimates one well in a coal bed can require anywhere from 200,000 litres to more than 1 million liters; while a horizontal well in a shale formation can use between 7.5 million to 19 million litres of water. b)What type of chemicals are used in the fracking process? Source: www.dmp.wa.gov.au/shaleandtightgas The chemicals used can be classified as hazardous, toxic and carcinogenic. Companies divulge little regarding the precise composition of the chemicals used, but it is known that there are approximately 700 known different chemicals used for this process. Although the fluid used in fracking is mostly water, some acids, emulsifiers and other chemicals are added to make the water more viscous and effective at fracturing the rock. These include guar gum, boron, zirconium, titanium, iron and polyacrylamide.Aside from such additives, the process of fracking also releases naturally occurring salts, metals, radioactive elements like barium and strontium and carcinogens like benzene. c) How does fracking affect surface and groundwater? It has been