The Shale Gas Industry: Risks to Human Health and the Environment

Transcription

1 The Shale Gas Industry: Risks to Human Health and the Environment Stephen Penningroth, Ph.D. Executive Director, Community Science Institute, Ithaca, NY, and Director, CSI Lab, 2000-present Senior Lecturer, Cornell University Center for the Environment and Dept. of Natural Resources, Assoc. Prof. of Pharmacology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey,

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5 Typical Drillpad Design Water-source pond Drill cuttings pond

6 Drilling Goes On Day and Night

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8 Water is needed for drilling and fracking Pit volume: 1.2 million gallons, about one quarter of a typical frack job Pit dimensions: 120 ft x 225 ft. x 6 ft, or ~4 acre-feet

9 Tanks as well as pits are used to hold freshwater for hydraulic fracturing and drilling. One tank holds 600 barrels, or 33,000 gallons, or 0.1 acre-foot.

10 Here, water is withdrawn from Towanda Creek to be stored for use in drilling and fracking. Water withdrawals can lower flows and damage small stream ecosystems.

11 Tanker trucks are used to transport water if none is available nearby. Tanker holds 7,000 gallons. This translates to 700 truck trips to a drill pad for one 5 million gallon frack job.

12 Approx. 1.5% of natural gas (methane) leaks undetected during production and transmission process. A potent greenhouse gas, methane traps about 20 times more heat than CO 2. Leaks off- Picture: Leaking gas is detected and flared from a new well.

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14 Gas well flowback contains toxic and radioactive chemicals from fracking fluid and its interaction with shale. Waste is stored in lined pits or steel tanks and is transported by tanker truck to POTWs or underground injection wells for disposal.

15 As gas is produced by a well, it is piped to a dehydrator and then to a compressor station.

16 Dehydrator (at left) removes water from gas. Compressor (at right) raises gas pressure so it can flow through larger pipelines, e.g., the Millennium Pipeline, to market.

17 Summary of Landscape Disturbances from Shale Gas Industry Drill pads Access roads to drill pads Pipelines from drill pads Dehydrators and compressor stations Result: Gradual fragmentation of landscape and conversion to industrial zone as gas companies strive for 40-acre well spacing to maximize profit. New York State law takes away all zoning authority from local governments with respect to the oil and gas industry.

18 Early stage of industrialization of landscape: Network of drill pads, access roads, compressor stations and pipelines in Allegheny, PA

19 Advanced stage of industrialization of landscape: Network of drill pads, access roads, compressor stations and pipelines in Dish, TX

20 Risk ~ Toxicity + Exposure Risk to human health and the environment from toxic chemicals is a composite function of toxicity and exposure. Any toxic chemical poses a risk if it gets into the environment -- water, soil or air, such that humans and other species come in contact with it. By definition, even a highly toxic chemical poses no risk if there is no exposure to it. Roughly 1% to 5% risk of exposure and harm from toxic chemicals associated with shale gas industry

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22 Comment Table A NYS Listed Hazardous Chemical Detection frequency, Max. Concentration, reported in dsgeis Table 5-8 dsgeis Table 5-9 dsgeis Table 5-9 and Appendix 13 and Appendix 13 and Appendix 13 4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide 24/24 (100%) 48,336. mg/l* Antimony 1/29 (3%) 0.26 mg/l Arsenic 2/29 (7%) mg/l Barium 34/34 (100%) 15,700. mg/l Benzene 14/29 (48%) 1,950. ug/l Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate 2/23 (9%) 21.5 ug/l Cadmium 5/29 (17%) 1.2 mg/l Chromium 3/29 (10%) 5.9 mg/l Lea d 2/29 (7%) 0.46 mg/l Naphthalene 1/26 (4%) 11.3 ug/l Nickel 6/29 (21%) mg/l Phenol 1/23 (4%) 459. ug/l Selenium 1/29 (3%) mg/l Silver 3/29 (10%) 6.3 mg/l Tetrachloroethylene 1/29 (3%) 5.10 ug/l Thallium 1/29 (3%) 0.1 mg/l Toluene 15/29 (52%) 3,190. ug/l Nitrobenzene Frequency and concentration not reported Gross alpha particle radioactivity** 13/13 (100%) 123,000. pci/l Gross beta particle radioactivity** 13/13 (100%) 12,000. pci/l

23 Are Carcinogens Generated by Chemical Reactions in Flowback? 4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO) o Reported in 24 out of 24 flowback analyses o Concentration range of 142 ppm to 48,000 ppm (aqueous solubility <1,000 ppm) o Used as carcinogen in research since 1970s o At ppm, cancer risk is, very roughly, 1 in 10,000 (inferred from quinoline risk in IRIS) o Not on list of fracturing fluid additives o Might arise as oxidation product of quinoline compounds used as corrosion inhibitors

24 Flowback is Hazardous Waste, not Industrial Wastewater What we know from limited data in dsgeis: Excluding 4-NQO, flowback satisfies NYSDEC Flowback also contains radioactivity (NORM) up to 2,000 times higher than POTW discharge limit Most toxic chemicals in flowback have not been identified and/or have not been characterized Recommendation: Eliminate exemption of oil and gas industry waste from disposal as hazardous waste under RCRA

25 Shale Gas Industry: Potential Pathways of Exposure to Toxic and Radioactive Chemicals 1. Transport of fracking chemicals and storage on the drill pad: T ruck accidents, leaks from storage containers 2. Mixing and high pressure underground injection of millions of gallons of fracking fluid: Spills on drill pad, leaks from valves 3. Millions of gallons of fracking fluid injected underground: Unanticipated vertical fractures, faulty cement casing around well hole, abandoned old-style gas wells that are not properly plugged, earthquakes

26 Shale Gas Industry: Potential Pathways of 4. Storage of flowback in open pits: Off-gases (V O Cs, radon), leaks through tears in plastic liner, breach of pit walls, overflow from rain 5. Transport of flowback to disposal site: T ruck accidents, leaks from pipes and valves 6. Disposal of flowback by POTWs (sewage plants): Inadequate screening, toxic chemicals discharged to streams and lakes undetected 7. Disposal of flowback by underground injection : Unanticipated vertical fractures, faulty cement casing, earthquakes

27 Risks Are Magnified by Unprecedented Physical Scale of Shale Gas Industry Technology of hydraulic fracturing is not new. What is new is the physical scale. Each shale gas well requires about 5,000,000 (five million) gallons of water for one fracturing. About 1.5 million gallons flow back as hazardous waste; about 3.5 million gallons stay in the ground 10,000 wells in the Southern Tier, each fractured once, would generate about 15 billion gallons of hazardous chemical waste requiring disposal. In addition to the flowback, there would be about 35 billion gallons of waste left in the ground.

28 Risks are magnified by physical scale Each gallon of hazardous chemical waste can contaminate about 1,000 gallons of clean water. Therefore, 15 billion gallons of flowback can contaminate about 15 trillion gallons of water. How much is 15 trillion gallons of contaminated water? Enough to cover the entire state of New York to a depth of about 1 foot. Gas wells are typically fracked not once, but several times to maintain production.

29 Ecological Risks from Shale Gas Industry in Eastern U.S. 1. Contamination of water by waste fluids a) Irreversible contamination of groundwater b) Loss of aquatic life and ecosystems - Direct contamination of streams and lakes - Indirectly via contaminated groundwater 2. Physical degradation of forests a) Loss of wildlife habitat and diversity b) Increased siltation of streams

30 Human Health Risks from Shale Gas Industry Anywhere 1. Natural gas explosions in homes 2. Breathing contaminated air a) Off-gasses from waste fluids in open pits b) Smog from diesels that power compressors c) Off-gasses from glycol dehydrators 3. Contaminated water a) Drinking b) Bathing c) Food

31 Economic Risks from Shale Gas Industry in Upstate New York As the Upstate environment and quality of life are degraded by the shale gas industry, expect long-term declines in: 1. Real estate values 2. Tourism, second homes, hunting, fishing 3. Wine industry 4. Agriculture, especially organic farming 5. Enrollment at colleges and universities

32 Gas Well Leases in Tompkins County, NY

33 What Can People Do To Minimize Risks of Harm from the Shale Gas Industry? Engage the political process: Advocate for better New York State laws and regulations Perform baseline testing of your private drinking water well Petition your local government to perform baseline testing of streams and lakes Organize Water Owner Alliances (WOAs) for regional protection of water resources

34 Baseline Testing of Private Wells Rationale quality as it relates to likely contaminants from shale gas wells Certified lab: Only test results from state-certified labs can be used for legal and regulatory purposes Third-party sample collection: Private drinking water samples must be collected by an unbiased 3rd party, usually the certified lab that does the tests Timing: Six (6) years or more before drilling Cost: Approx. $600 plus travel (CSI price). Recommended tests and prices vary among labs.

35 F racking fluid: Chemical oxygen demand (COD), VOCs, detergents (MBAS), alkalinity, ph Produced fluid: Total dissolved solids, chloride, conductivity, calcium, total hardness, alkalinity, VOCs, Leachate from shale: Gross alpha and beta radioactivity (NORM), metals (barium, iron, manganese, arsenic, strontium), total hardness Improper well casing: Turbidity, suspended solids, methane (natural gas); other contaminants possible but less likely

36 Picking a State-Certified Lab Any New York State certified lab may perform tests in principle, however, few labs are certified CSI is certified for half the recommended tests CSI subcontracts tests for gross alpha and beta radioactivity, methane, metals and VOCs to three other New York State certified labs

37 Baseline Testing of Streams and Lakes Risk: Risk to surface water appears to be as great or greater than risk to aquifers Complex logistics of stream monitoring: Miles of stream; many possible sampling slightly by season and flow Goals: a) Rapid response to spills; b) Monitor for long-term degradation

38 Baseline Testing of Streams and Lakes lakes (tentative): Chemical monitoring: Conductivity, total dissolved solids, chloride, alkalinity, total hardness, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total Kjeldahl nitrogen, gross alpha and beta radioactivity Biological monitoring: Aquatic insects (benthic macroinvertebrates, or BMI)

39 There is a high probability that a variety of toxic and radioactive chemicals, for example, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, neurotoxins, radium and radon, are present in flowback Even low concentrations of toxic chemicals can present significant short-term and long-term risks to human health and the environment chemical properties, not individual toxins needs to be systematically screened for the hundreds of toxins used in the shale gas industry Testing for Specific Toxic and Radioactive Chemicals

40 WOAs (Water Owner Alliances) Is this an idea whose time has come? Water is essential for life and for human civilization Water is infinitely more valuable than fossil fuels Protection of water resources must be a top priority at every level of government Citizens can organize Water Owner Alliances (WOAs), inform themselves about risks to water, and work through the political process to preserve clean water and the ecosystems that depend on it