Fracking, An Unregulated Chemical Cocktail Essay - 1681 Words

INTRODUCTION What is Fracking? Fracking is a mining approach in which a well in drilled thousands of feet deep into the Earth for the express purpose of gathering oil and gas from fuel reserves deep within its crust. Essentially, drill teams pierce through the planets sediment layers, water table and shale rock formations before placing a casing of cement as a sort of access valve to the raw fuel. This casing also acts as a channel for colossal amounts of water, sand and 50,000 gallons of fracking fluid used to extract the fuel from its location in the Earth. Fracking fluid, an unregulated chemical cocktail consisting of Naphthenic Acidethoxylate or Poly (Oxy-`1,2-Ethanediyl), Alpha-(4-Nonylphenyl)- Omega-Hydroxy-, Branched and other undisclosed chemicals, is maybe the most controversial element of the fracking process. When these fluids are dispensed into a well, a plethora of chemical reactions occur allowing oil and gas to be separated from shale in the earth and collected in its raw forms, be fore being transported to facilities for refining. In many instances, explosives such as TNT are set off before these solutions are poured as a means of rupturing and clearing bedrock. Since the development of this modern deep earth fracking technology, many scientists, environmentalists and health advocates have shown a concern for the health effects the method has on the surrounding regions. Current evidence shows that fracking is a high-risk method of drilling, particularly