The Real Cost of Fracking (31 page)

3
. Susan Phillips and Marie Cusick, “Drilling Companies Agree to Settle Fracking Contamination Case for $750,000,”
State Impact
, March 21, 2013,
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/03/21/drilling-companies-agree-to-settle-fracking-contamination-case-for-750000
.

4
. Stephanie Hallowich and Chris Hallowich, H/W v. Range Resources Corporation et al., Court of Common Pleas, Washington County, PA, Civil Division, “Transcript of Inchambers Proceeding Before the Honorable Paul Pozonsky, Judge, on August 23, 2011,” no. 2010-3954,
http://ae3b703522cf9ac6c40a-32964bea949fe02d45161cf7095bfea9.r89.cf2.rackcdn.com/2013/211/626/pg-settlement-hearing-transcript.pdf
.

5
. K. Fisher and N. Warpinski, “Hydraulic Fracture Height Growth: Real Data,”
Society of Petroleum Engineers Production & Operations
27 (2012): 8–19.

6
. R.E. Bishop, “Historical Analysis of Oil and Gas Well Plugging in New York: Is the Regulatory System Working?”
New Solutions
23, no. 1 (2013): 103–16.

7
. S.G. Osborn, A. Vengosh, N.R. Warner, and R.B. Jackson, “Methane Contamination of Drinking Water Accompanying Gas-Well Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing,”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA
108 (2011): 8172–76.

8
. J. Hurdle, “Pennsylvania Report Left Out Data on Poisons in Water Near Gas Site,”
New York Times
, November 2, 2012,
www.nytimes.com/2012/11/03/us/pennsylvania-omitted-poison-data-in-water-report.html?_r=1&
.

9
. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Drinking Water Contaminants,” accessed December 15, 2013,
http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm
.

10
. L.N. Vandenberg et al., “Hormones and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Low-Dose Effects and Nonmonotonic Dose Responses,”
Endocrine Reviews
33, no. 3 (2012): 378–455.

11
. J. Treas, T. Tyagi, and K.P. Singh, “Chronic Exposure to Arsenic, Estrogen, and Their Combination Causes Increased Growth and Transformation in Human Prostate Epithelial Cells Potentially by Hypermethylation-Mediated Silencing of MLH1,”
Prostate
73 (2013): 1660–72.

12
. EPA, “Draft Plan to Study the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources,” February 7, 2011,
www2.epa.gov/hfstudy/draft-plan-study-potential-impacts-hydraulic-fracturing-drinking-water-resources-february-7
.

13
. EPA, “Drinking Water Contaminants,” accessed December 15, 2013,
http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm
.

14
. EPA, “Regulating Public Water Systems and Contaminants Under the Safe Drinking Water Act,” 2012,
http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/regulatingcontaminants/basicinformation.cfm
.

15
. G. Zhang et al., “Microbial Diversity in Ultra-High-Pressure Rocks and Fluids from the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Project in China,”
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
71 (2005): 3213–27.

1
. Frac Technical Services International, “Material Safety Data Sheet, FRW-200,” December 21, 2011,
http://oilandgas.ohiodnr.gov/portals/oilgas/_MSDS/fractech/FRW-200.pdf
.

2
. A.R. Ingraffea, “Fluid Migration Mechanisms Due to Faulty Well Design and/or Construction: An Overview and Recent Experiences in the Pennsylvania Marcellus Play,” Physicians Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy, February 18, 2013,
www.psehealthyenergy.org/site/view/1057
.

3
. C. Brufatto et al., “From Mud to Cement: Building Gas Wells,”
Oilfield Review
(Schlumberger) (autumn 2003): 62–76.

4
. Pedro Ramirez Jr.,
Reserve Pit Management: Risks to Migratory Birds
(Cheyenne, WY: US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2009),
http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/contaminants/documents/reservepits.pdf
.

5
. 25 PA code 488.435, 25 PA code 289.262.

6
. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, “Toxicological Profile for Hydrogen Sulfide,” Toxic Substances Portal, July 2006,
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp.asp?id=389&tid=67
.

7
. Ibid.

8
. Multi-Chem, Material Safety Data Sheet, MC B-8642, 2011.

9
. For information on acrolein, see Science Lab, “Material Safety Data Sheet: Acrolein MSDS,” last updated May 21, 2013,
www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9922791
. For glutaraldehyde, see Science Lab, “Material Safety Data Sheet: Glutaraldehyde Solution, 50% MSDS,” last updated May 21, 2013,
www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924161
.

10
. Dystocia is a difficult or abnormal birth or labor.

11
. OSHA, “Occupational Safety and Health Guidelines for Arsenic,”
www.osha.gov/SLTC/arsenic/index.html
.

12
. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, “Act 13 of 2012,” accessed December 15, 2013,
www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/act_13/20789
.

13
. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation provides a partial list of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluid: “Natural Gas Development Activities and High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing,” chapter 5 in
Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement
, revised draft (Albany: NYSDEC, 2011),
www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/rdsgeisch50911.pdf
. Other information can be found at
www.fracfocus.org
.

14
. Food & Water Watch, “Fracking: The New Global Water Crisis,” March 2012,
http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/FrackingCrisisUS.pdf
; SourceWatch “Fracking and Water Pollution,” 2013,
www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Fracking_and_water_pollution
.

15
. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, “Toxicological Profile for Arsenic,” August 2007,
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp2.pdf
; Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, “Health Consultation,” October 29, 2013,
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/ChesapeakeATGASWellSite/ChesapeakeATGASWellSiteHC10282013_508.pdf
.

16
. EPA, “Chemicals in the Environment: Toluene (CAS No. 108-88-3),” August 1994,
www.epa.gov/chemfact/f_toluen.txt
.

17
. M.A. D’Andrea and G.K. Reddy, “Health Effects of Benzene Exposure Among Children Following a Flaring Incident at the British Petroleum Refinery in Texas City,”
Pediatric Hematology and Oncology
(October 2, 2013), DOI: 10.3109/08880018.2013.831511.

18
. D. Campagna et al., “Color Vision and Occupational Toluene Exposure,”
Neurotoxicol Teratol
23 (2001): 473–80; E.H. Lee et al., “Acquired Dyschromatopsia Among Petrochemical Industry Workers Exposed to Benzene,”
Neurotoxicology
28 (2007): 356–63; MedlinePlus, “Benzene Poisoning,” last updated February 16, 2012,
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002720.htm
.

19
. L.W.D. Weber and J.T. Pierce, “Toxicology of Sensory Organs,” in
Toxicology Principles for the Industrial Hygienist
, ed. W.E. Luttrell, W.W. Jederberg, and K.R. Still (Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2008), 70–81.

20
. Ibid.

21
. Phenol and hippuric acid are imperfect markers because they can be found in the urine of individuals for reasons (e.g., eating some types of vegetables) other than direct exposure to benzene and toluene. However, Sarah and her family had multiple tests of their phenol and hippuric acid levels, and increased levels were correlated with time spent in their home. That is, the levels always dropped after they left their home for an extended time and increased when they spent time in their home.

22
. “Range Resources Answers Question on Their Stinky Impoundment,” video in two parts, YouTube, uploaded by “Cineplex Rex” on April 13, 2012,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbWqR9KoVp4
and
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLpEMPzXWMY
.

23
. F.P. Perera et al., “Effect of Prenatal Exposure to Airborne Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Neurodevelopment in the First 3 Years of Life Among Inner-City Children,”
Environmental Health Perspectives
114 (2006): 1287–92; F.P. Perera et al., “Prenatal Airborne Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure and Child IQ at Age 5 Years,”
Pediatrics
124 (2009): e195–e202.

24
. US Food and Drug Adminstration, “Protocol for Interpretation and Use of Sensory Testing and Analytical Chemistry Results for Re-opening Oil-Impacted Areas Closed to Seafood Harvesting Due to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill,” 2010,
www.fda.gov/food/ucm217601.htm
.

25
. EPA, “Draft Plan to Study the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources,” February 7, 2011,
www2.epa.gov/hfstudy/draft-plan-study-potential-impacts-hydraulic-fracturing-drinking-water-resources-february-7
; T. Hayes,
Sampling and Analysis of Water Streams Associated with the Development of Marcellus Shale Gas
(Des Plaines, IL: Gas Technology Institute, 2009).

26
. EPA, “Drinking Water Contaminants,” accessed December 15, 2013,
http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants
, has this explanation: “Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG)—The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety and are non-enforceable public health goals. Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)—The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology and taking cost into consideration. MCLs are enforceable standards.” On the same website, the EPA also defines secondary MCL standards: “National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations (NSDWRs or secondary standards) are non-enforceable guidelines regulating contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color) in drinking water. EPA recommends secondary standards to water systems but does not require systems to comply. However, states may choose to adopt them as enforceable standards.”

27
. EPA, “Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether (EGBE) (2-Butoxyethanol) (CASRN 111-76-2),” Integrated Risk Information System, March 31, 2010,
www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0500.htm
; US House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, “Chemicals Used in Hydraulic Fracturing,” April 2011,
http://democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Hydraulic-Fracturing-Chemicals-2011-4-18.pdf
.

28
. National Toxicology Program, “Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of 2-Butoxyethanol in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice,” March 2000,
http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/htdocs/lt_rpts/tr484.pdf
.

1
. L. Legere, “Hazards Posed by Natural Gas Drilling Not Always Underground,”
Scranton (PA) Times-Tribune
, June 21, 2010,
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/hazards-posed-by-natural-gas-drilling-not-always-underground-1.857452
.

2
. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, “Health Consultation,” October 29, 2013,
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/ChesapeakeATGASWellSite/ChesapeakeATGASWellSiteHC10282013_508.pdf
.

3
. S.G. Osborn, A. Vengosh, N.R. Warner, and R.B. Jackson, “Methane Contamination of Drinking Water Accompanying Gas-Well Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing,”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA
108 (2011): 8172–76.

4
. K.K. Eltschlager, J.W. Hawkins, W.C. Ehler, and F. Baldassare, “Technical Measures for the Investigation and Mitigation of Fugitive Methane Hazards in Areas of Coal Mining,” US Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Pittsburgh, September 2001.

5
. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIOSH Program Portfolio, “Oil and Gas Extraction. Inputs: Occupational Safety and Health Risks,” last updated December 13, 2012,
www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/oilgas/risks.html
.

6
. A.R. Ingraffea, “Insights on Unconventional Natural Gas Development from Shale: An Interview with Anthony R. Ingraffea by Adam Law,”
New Solutions
23, no. 1 (2013): 203–8.

7
. StateImpact Pennsylvania, “Well: Morse 5H,” Shale Play, Natural Gas Drilling in Pennsylvania, accessed December 15, 2013,
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/drilling/wells/015-20932/
; L. Kasianowitz, Information Specialist and South-central Community Relations Coordinator, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, personal communication, September 30, 2013.

8
. Gas Safety Incorporated, “Report to Damascus Citizens for Sustainability and Mr. Don Williams on 25 July 2012 Field Inspection and Methane Sampling Survey of Parts of Leroy, Granville and Franklin Townships Bradford County, Pennsylvania,” accessed December 15, 2013,
www.damascuscitizensforsustainability.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Leroy2-072512-report-FINAL.pdf
.

1
. G. Albrecht et al., “Solastalgia: The Distress Caused by Environmental Change,”
Australas Psychiatry
15 suppl. 1 (2007): S95–S98.

2
. H.E. Bergna, “Petroleum Refinery Processes Using Catalyst of Aluminosilicate Sols and Powders,” 1981, Patent US 4257874 A,
www.google.com/patents/US4257874
.

3
. J.L. Hewitt, “The Levant Investigation: Using Radiocarbon Dating to Determine the Source of Methane Gas Migration,” 1984,
info.ngwa.org/gwol/pdf/870143442.PDF
.

1
. W. Hauter,
Foodopoly: The Battle over the Future of Food and Farming in America
(New York: New Press, 2012); D. Kirby,
Animal Factory: The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy, and Poultry Farms to Humans and the Environment
(New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2010).