Gasland Summary

Gasland (2010) was created by Josh Fox in reaction to gas companies seeking to buy his land. Disturbed by intrusion to his normal way of life, he searched for answers and documented them in a film. The documentary explains the hydraulic fracturing process and lists health interviews with residents living near fracking sites. Half a decade later, fracking has depleted shale areas and fluctuated past the original 34 states during the making of the film. The article “The Fracking Industry’s Dishonest Response to ‘Gasland’” from The Nation website announced that the gas industry released “Truthland” in order to improve relations with the public.
The oil/gas industry has certainly had its moments in the spot light and have sat under the interrogation

The chemicals used in fracking will first be examined. According to the World Book Encyclopedia of Science, hydrogen sulfide, benzene, and toluene are toxic aromatics derived from tar and naphthalene. Thiol groups (SH) are more reactive than alcohol groups, but less reactive than hydroxyl groups. Sulfur compounds typically have a pungent odor similar to rotten eggs. However, increased oxidation of hydrogen sulfide would result in sulfonic acid. “Benzene is the simplest aromatic compound.” As an excellent solvent, it can produce a variety of derivatives with minimal reagents. Its characteristic bonding, unconventional by regular electron bonding, makes it extremely volatile. As a result, its use is banned outside of laboratory and industry use. Toluene is described as “identical to benzene except that one of the hydrogen atoms has been replaced by a methyl group. It is easily synthesized from benzene, so it is also a powerful solvent. Applications range from adhesive purposes, surface coating, and as a starter for TNT (tri-nitro-toluene). Xylene is “similar to toluene in structure, except that a further hydrogen atom has been displaced from the ring by a methyl group.” It is another solvent derived from tar and naphthalene by the same technique used for isolating benzene and toluene. (74-76). Because these chemicals are sourced from oil and gas, their presence in other mixtures including water would introduce combustive properties to the solution. These volatile organic compounds are not only flammable, but also carcinogenic, toxic to life-sustaining processes. Glycol Ethers are toxic fracking chemicals that have the ability to burn through membranes, which can trigger extreme neurological damage. Besides from toxic, it is near impossible to remove even with reverse osmosis filters. Because it is impossible to remove glycol