Study: Fracking chemicals found in toothpaste and ice cream
A study of one component found in the fracking fluid injected into shale to release oil and gas contains chemicals found in substances most people ingest all the time, including ice cream, laxatives and toothpaste, according to new research from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Though the fluid is mostly water and sand, many critics of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, say chemicals added to the fluid contaminate groundwater. The new study suggests that additives found in one component, surfactants, which breaks surface tension to allow oil to be extracted, are no more toxic than common household items.
University researchers collected samples from fracking fluid surfactants in five states — Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Texas. The findings were recently published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.
“We found chemicals in the samples we were running that most of us are putting down our drains at home,” Michael Thurman, lead author of the study, said in a news release.
Oil and gas companies use additives during drilling, including anti-bacterial agents and corrosion inhibitors. However, the study focused specifically on surfactants. Other chemicals used are commonly found in hair color, IV fluids, laundry detergents, cosmetics and household cleaners, according to Chesapeake Energy.
The fracking process pumps high-pressured water, sand and chemicals underground to crack into shale. Sand keeps the cracks open so the oil and gas can be extracted. Anti-bacterial agents reduce bacteria in the water, which can produce corrosive byproducts, and corrosion inhibitors prevent pipes from corroding. During fracking, some of the same chemicals found in ice cream and toothpaste make water thicker to suspend sand, Chesapeake said.
But the drilling has created a constant battle between those who call it an environmental disaster and those who see it as the key to energy independence for the United States, adding jobs and driving down gasoline costs.
