Fracking Research Paper

497 Words1 Page

"Everybody presumes that the government is there to protect you,” Bryan Latkanich says in an interview with Marketplace. "If they were here to protect you, they wouldn't let this go on at all.” Latkanich is talking about hydraulic fracturing or fracking. Fracking has endangered the health risks of his family, along with many people around the world. Fracking harms countless people and their surroundings in various ways. Fracking contributes to climate change, releases toxic chemicals into the environment, and pollutes drinking water. First of all, climate change is affected by fracking in multiple ways. Fracking releases chemicals such as methane into the atmosphere where it can heat the environment. Methane traps 20 to 25 times more heat than carbon dioxide traps. 40 to 60 percent more methane is released into the environment from fracking than from natural gas wells. The methane released kills plants and trees, which then contributes to the formation of the ozone layer of the atmosphere, creating natural gas explosions. These explosions cause an average of 17 deaths and 68 injuries per year in the United States. …show more content…

There are over 650 fracking chemicals that can cause cancer. The EPA has approved all of these chemicals, but do not have health testing data to properly test the chemicals. Most of the time, the EPA does not ask for any tests in the first place. Because of this safety hazard, civilians living near fracking wells fear for their safety and health. Fracking can release chemicals into the air. Benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and n-hexane all can be released into the atmosphere. Long-term exposure to these chemicals can lead to cancer, birth defects, blood disorders, and neurological

Open Document