Air Quality Near Fracking Sites A Concern For Human Health
Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is a drilling
technology used to collect trapped reserves of natural gas. This method does
act as an alternative to dirtier coal energy; however, the human health impacts
of fracking are a concern. While many communities in close proximity to
fracking sites have voiced concern over water quality, the topic of air quality
has been largely ignored.
The journal
Environmental Health published a study called Air concentrations of volatile compounds near oil and gas production: a
community-based exploratory study in which the levels of certain compounds
were measured near fracking sites. The air sampling method was designed in a
way that would provide accurate readings of public exposure near fracking sites
with a resolution in the part-per-billion range. Air samples were analyzed for
75 VOCs, 20 sulfur compounds, and formaldehyde. Eight different chemicals
showed levels exceeding federal guidelines under several operational
circumstances. The most common chemicals that showed levels of concern were:
benzene, formaldehyde, and hydrogen sulfide. Benzene and formaldehyde are known
and suspected human carcinogens, respectably, and hydrogen sulfide poses as an
acute health hazard. This study is important because it took the time to
investigate an overlooked aspect of fracking that has a serious potential to
cause harm to the neighboring population.
The news articles comes from The
Telegraph, a newspaper from the United Kingdom. The article title reads, Fracking emits more formaldehyde than
medical students experience from dead bodies. The article does not spend
much time describing the research of the study being reported. It only quotes
two sentences from the results section of the paper. Instead, The Telegraph
article focuses on the chemicals and draws comparisons with which the readers
can relate. In addition to the formaldehyde levels being “twice as high as
medical students experience when dissecting dead bodies,” benzene levels were
reported as “33 times the concentration that drivers can smell when filling up
with fuel at a petrol station,” and hydrogen sulfide levels were “up to 60,000
times the acceptable odour threshold.” From that point, the article discusses
the potential of fracking in Britain. The article presents both sides of the
fracking argument, but seems to mostly quote potential fracking practices that
will ensure safety.
I think that the study
was well executed and necessary for assuring proper practices in future
fracking operations. The effect of fracking on air quality in terms of human
health should not be ignored. Hopefully, more stringent regulations will pass
to ensure safer operations. The Telegraph article was an interesting change of
pace from the Science Daily articles we usually find on our blog. I thought
that The Telegraph used the study as an eye-catcher to introduce readers to the
topic of fracking. Interestingly, the chemical comparisons used in the article
were mentioned nowhere is the study. I would be very much like to see the
source or calculations behind those descriptions. The news article appeared to
use the study to detail the wrong way to frack. It seemed to me as though the
writer was either neutral or they favored fracking in the UK, but under the
stricter regulations listed by UK specialist in the article. I really liked how
the article used the study to present a national issue, but the way it did so
was sub-par. It didn't even provide any sort of link to the source material! I
would rate the news article 4 out of 10.
Journal Article: http://www.ehjournal.net/content/pdf/1476-069X-13-82.pdf
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