How do we know if fracking chemicals are safe?

Posted on by Letters

North Carolina’s Energy Modernization Act prohibits disclosure of chemicals used in the process, according to your fine article on the subject [“Focus on Fracking: NC Officials Seek Public Comment on Draft Rules,” Aug. 6, Xpress].

How are we then to know if these chemicals are safe for the water supply and the environment?

The answer is that we won’t know, and that’s just the way the fracking companies and their Republican puppets in the Legislature want it to be.

What the public doesn’t know won’t hurt them, but the chemicals used in fracking might.

Fred Flaxman
Weaverville

 

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One thought on “How do we know if fracking chemicals are safe?”

  1. timothypeck

    “How are we then to know if these chemicals are safe for the water supply and the environment?”

    Chemical used fracking fluid make up less than 0.5% of the total. The rest, 95.5%, is water and sand. Fracking fluid does not enter the water supply. And the environment is where the chemicals come from. Most of them can be found in your own kitchen or garage. Your body is made of chemicals.

    The chemical used in fracking fluid are all known and published at FracFocus.org:

    http://fracfocus.org/chemical-use/what-chemicals-are-used

    A list of the chemical most often used in fracking is contained in the Appendix to this report:

    Facts on Fracking: Addressing concerns over hydraulic fracturing coming to North Carolina
    http://www.johnlocke.org/research/show_story.html?id=259&type=policy%20reports

    More information on chemicals:

    Fracking Awesome: chemicals
    http://nchouse116.com/fracking-awesome/#chemicals

    The Chemicals in Fracking Fluids: Earth and water, you’ll find plenty of both down there
    http://www.johnlocke.org/research/show/spotlights/310

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