Blog 3

                  Have you ever imagined that the water you drink, bathe, and cook in could be harming your health? Well thanks to hydraulic fracking this is a reality for some people and is going to be for more people in the near future. As the spread of fracking is on the rise, human and animal health issues have increased. According to Janna Palisser, contaminated water from fracking can cause burning of the nose, throat, eyes, and also causes headaches, as well as neurological, dermatological (rashes), vascular (nosebleeds), sensory, immunological, urological, and gastrointestinal (vomiting, diarrhea) issues. This has to be stopped before more people and animals are harmed.

                Hydraulic fracturing can cause harm to animals and humans in a few ways. These ways include water pollution, air pollution, and earthquakes. Yes, even earthquakes. An article in science scope states that two earthquakes shook Youngstown, Ohio, in December 2011. These were both within a mile from the injection well and 100 meters from each other. Shortly after, nine more earthquakes struck between March and November, all around the fracturing site. Scientists believe the quakes were caused by a slippage of the fault at the same depth as the injection site below the surface due to injection fluids. These fluids can act as lubricants between two rocks, helping them to slip along the boundary. Pollution is one thing, but causing a serious natural disaster could have detrimental effects. This could easily kill people. Not only could this harm people it can harm animals as well. According to the same article many cows, goats, and chickens have died due to exposure to drilling waste and emissions. This shows the danger of the air and water pollution from hydraulic fracking.

                Not only is it proven that fracking causes human and animal health problems, it can lead to earthquakes as well. As more and more fracking sites pop up across the United States more people are in danger. Safer ways of drilling oil need to be researched now before more people and animals get sick or have their lives put at risk. The cons of fracking absolutely outweigh the pros. When human health is put at risk, that’s when things have gone too far.

Work Cited

Palliser, Janna. Fracking Fury. Science Scope. Web. March 2012

This article tells the true dangers that come with fracking. Not only does it have cons of fracking, it also lists the pros in a non-bias way. Has a ton of great information on the effects of fracking and research that has been done.