Radiation in fracking fluid is a new concern!

[Bravo Zulu]

Wastewater from Marcellus Shale drilling may contain unhealthy concentrations of radioactivity, and federal officials, researchers, the industry and the former head of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection have called for testing of drinking water sources and full disclosure of results.

The New York Times reported in a story Saturday that 116 of 179 Marcellus wells in Pennsylvania had high levels of radiation in wastewater samples and that wastewater discharges into rivers and streams were untested for radiation even though government agencies and the industry knew of the risks. The radiation is picked up by water used to hydraulically fracture the deep, 380 million-year-old shale layer and release the natural gas it holds.

In response to the Times article, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., wrote a letter Saturday to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson asking for responses to various issues regarding toxic wastewater from fracking.

"I do not believe that the price for energy extracted from deep beneath the earth's surface should include a risk to the health of those who live above it," Mr. Markey wrote. "I am outraged that state and federal regulators were evidently well aware of the risks that the wastewater might pose, but instead chose to adopt a 'see no evil, hear no evil approach' to regulation by ignoring them."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11060/1128778-503.stm#ixzz1FKxQLH00

[inademv]

1. The typical mexican standoff

The corporation holds "jobs" hostage while the politicians impotently threaten enforcing regulations THAT ALREADY EXIST. Neither is willing to pull the trigger on the other. Oh wait, the corporations are slashing jobs all the time (read: Koch Industries).

Would it really be such a bad thing to have a leader who IS "anti-business" if this is what it means to be "pro-business"?

[Mybrokenchains]

2. but...but...

if we let are radioactive waste water into our rivers and streams the fish will become GIANT, we'll need more fishermen to bring them in.....that'll end world hunger and create jobs!!

[Kip Humphrey]

3. more likely this...

[Altoid_Cyclist]

4. Welcome to DU!

The sad part of your remark is that there are already people on DU who are defending global warming and climate change as an asset. I realize that you were being sarcastic, but others actually believe that GW & CC will aid the human race.

They say that it will lead to longer growing seasons and more food for the over populated earth. Of course a lot of the land area now used for farming will be under water and the altering of the normal weather patterns will cause longer and more intense droughts. However, as long as we will have longer growing seasons they rationalize that overall, it's a positive happening.

Of course, I've had people here try to tell me that "fracking" is completely safe and that nothing can possibly go wrong. Did I mention that they work for the SW companies who are presently destroying PA one _ _ _ _ing well at a time?

Welcome to the new (more corporate) version of DU. :hi:

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Note that this is NORM = naturally occuring radioactive material

Wherever there are uranium deposits, even diffuse ones -- radium, radon, and other decay products will accumulate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=249200&mesg_id=249200

http://www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap.html

[hedgehog]

6. If the water pumped through the shale picks up radioactivity,

what about the natural gas in the shale?

[eppur_se_muova]

8. There may be some radon in the gas, but at very low conc'ns.

I haven't seen any numbers on that, but I suspect the impact is minimal. Natural gas is usually scrubbed and treated to remove sulfur compounds. Because radon is very dense and slightly soluble in water, the radon probably gets carried away in a large volume of water. Still, it would be nice to know if anyone has ever tried to measure the radioactivity of that wastewater -- although it may be below detection limits.

I do know that some natural gas contains helium -- up to 7% -- and that helium is believed to come almost entirely from radioactive decay. Very heavy nuclei like uranium often undergo alpha decay, which results in a nucleus of Helium-4 being ejected from the larger nucleus. Over time, the helium-4 percolates upwards and gets trapped in the same reservoirs as natural gas. Radon gas is so dense that it tends to percolate downward in either air or water, which is probably why it took so long to recognize radon as a problem.

[blue neen]

10. Ask, and ye shall receive:

According to a June 2010 article in the online journal Environmental Science & Technology, by David Kargbo, Ron Wilhelm and David Campbell, all of the EPA's Region III office in Philadelphia, the Marcellus Shale is considered to contain "elevated levels" of naturally occurring radioactive materials.

They cite a recent study of 13 Marcellus fracking wastewater samples by the New York Department of Conservation that found levels of radium-226 as high as 267 times the safe disposal limit and thousands of times higher than the safe drinking water limit. Another study by the New York Department of Health found elevated radium-226 levels in samples of drilling "brine," a salty drilling wastewater.

John Hanger, former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, denied charges in the Times article that the state's gas drilling regulations are "lax," citing regulatory changes that tightened water withdrawal and disposal rules, stream protections and drilling standards.

But he said it raises "serious concerns" about radioactivity and public health."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11060/1128778-455.stm#ixzz1FOtvadA8

[hedgehog]

11. IIRC, when you sell a house in this area, you have to test the basement for radon.

It was about 20 years back that someone figured out that radon seeped from the bedrock into basements and accumulated at hazardous levels. My house is up on the clay bed near Lake Ontario, so we don't have a radon problem. My brother in the Albany area has an exhaust fan running in his basement to prevent radon from accumulating. So, people living on the Marcellus shale should be well aware of the hazard.

[eppur_se_muova]

12. Thanks! nt

[Avant Guardian]

7. It isnt a concern if you are a republican

You see, republicans shit where they eat and sleep, so no bother to them. All in the name of tidy profit my good fellows, yes indeed.

[RainDog]

9. k&r n/t