Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is spreading across the United States. But what is fracking, really? And what risks does it pose to our health and environment? Why do we believe fracking is so risky for our water, air, wildlife and climate that it should be banned?
1. What is fracking?
Fracking is a method of oil and gas production that involves blasting huge amounts of water &#; mixed with sand and toxic chemicals &#; under high pressure deep into the earth. Fracking breaks up rock formations to allow oil and gas extraction. It also pollutes our air, water and climate and endangers wildlife and human health.
Fracking has been documented in more than 30 U.S. states and is particularly widespread in North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas. And it's expanding into new areas, making states like California, New Mexico and Nevada increasingly threatened by a potential fracking boom.
2. How does fracking contaminate our water?
Fracking requires an enormous amount of water &#; as much as 5 million gallons per well. It routinely employs numerous toxic chemicals, including methanol, benzene, naphthalene and trimethylbenzene.
About 25 percent of fracking chemicals could cause cancer, according to scientists with the Endocrine Disruption Exchange. Evidence is mounting throughout the country that these chemicals are making their way into aquifers and drinking water.
Water quality can also be threatened by methane contamination tied to drilling and the fracturing of rock formations. This problem has been highlighted by footage of people in fracked areas accidentally setting fire to methane-laced water from kitchen faucets. Water pollution from fracking can happen in variety of ways, including through surface spills and well casing failures. Such accidents are disturbingly common. A fracking boom in North Dakota, for example, has led to thousands of accidental releases of oil, waste water and other fluids, according to a ProPublica investigation.
Fracking can also expose people to harm from lead, arsenic and radioactivity brought back to the surface of the land with fracking flowback fluid. In fact, fracking waste water is so dangerous that it can't be reused for other purposes. The water we use for fracking is permanently removed from our water supply &#; a serious problem, especially in western states, where water is an extremely precious resource.
3. How does fracking pollute our air?
Fracking can release dangerous petroleum hydrocarbons, including benzene, toluene and xylene. It can also increase ground-level ozone, a key risk factor for asthma and other respiratory illness. The pollutants in fracking water and flowback fluid can enter our air when waste water is dumped into pits and then evaporates. Air pollution caused by fracking may contribute to health problems in people living near natural gas drilling sites, according to a study by researchers with the Colorado School of Public Health.
4. How does fracking worsen climate change?
Fracking often releases large amounts of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas that traps heat at least 87 times more effectively than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Fracked shale gas wells, for example, may have methane leakage rates of as high as 9 percent. Studies have shown that leakage rates of more than about 3 percent would make burning natural gas in a power plant even worse for the climate than burning coal.
Fracking also allows access to huge fossil fuel deposits that were once beyond the reach of drilling. In California, for example, oil companies are interested in using fracking and other dangerously extreme fossil fuel extraction methods in the Monterey Shale. This geological formation under the San Joaquin and the Los Angeles basins may hold a large amount of extraordinarily dirty, carbon intensive oil. Oil fracking in North Dakota is already yielding about half a million barrels of oil a day.
We need to leave 80 percent of proven fossil fuel reserves in the ground in order to have a reasonable chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change. We simply cannot afford to use dangerous techniques like fracking to keep extracting more oil and gas.
5. Does fracking cause earthquakes?
There are reports from British Columbia and the United Kingdom that fracking has caused small earthquakes, so there is some risk from fracking itself. The greater problem, however, is earthquakes induced when the wastewater from fracking is disposed of in injection wells. A recent study points to underground injection as a key factor in a 5.7 quake outside of Prague, Oklahoma, that did hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to local homes. Scientists also concluded that a series of earthquakes in Youngstown, Ohio, were induced by underground wastewater injection.
Read our own March report covering the subject of fracking and earthquakes, On Shaky Ground: Fracking, Acidizing, and Increased Earthquake Risk in California.
6. How does fracking threaten wildlife?
Fracking comes with intense industrial development, including multi-well pads and massive truck traffic. That's because, unlike a pool of oil that can be accessed by a single well, shale formations are typically fractured in many places to extract fossil fuels. This requires multiple routes for trucks, adding more pollution to the air and more disturbance of wildlife habitat.
Fish die when fracking fluid contaminates streams and rivers. Birds are poisoned by chemicals in wastewater ponds. And the intense industrial development that accompanies fracking pushes imperiled animals out of the wild areas they need to survive. In California, for example, more than 100 endangered and threatened species, including the San Joaquin kit fox and California condor, live in the counties where fracking is set to expand.
7. Don't state and federal laws protect people and wildlife from fracking?
Fracking is poorly regulated at the federal level. In fact, in Congress exempted most types of fracking from the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, severely limiting protections for water quality. In April the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized new Clean Air Act rules called &#;New Source Performance Standards&#; that will limit air pollutants from fracked gas wells &#; but the rules don't cover oil wells, don't set limits on methane release &#; and won't take effect until . Even oil and gas companies that are fracking wells on federally managed public lands are rarely fined for violating environmental and safety rules &#; and the few fines that are levied are small compared to industry profits, according to a congressional report. As a result, regulating fracking falls largely to the states.
Inadequate disclosure and poor protections are common features of state fracking laws. In Texas, for example, companies routinely exploit a trade-secret loophole to avoid disclosing which chemicals they're using in fracking fluid. Companies used the Texas trade-secret exemption about 19,000 times in the first eight months of . Pennsylvania state agencies have also confirmed more than 100 cases of pollution in the past five years, despite the state's fracking regulations.
Fracking pollution occurs even in states with regulations. The best way to protect our water, air and climate is to ban fracking now.
8. But hasn't fracking been done in the United States for many years?
Yes &#; but today's fracking techniques are new and pose new dangers. Technological changes have facilitated an explosion of fossil fuel production in areas where, even a decade ago, companies couldn't recover oil and gas profitably.
Directional drilling, for example, is a new technique that has greatly expanded access to rock formations. Companies also employ high fluid volumes to fill horizontal &#;well bores&#; that sometimes extend for miles. And oil and gas producers are using new chemical concoctions called &#;slick water&#; that allow injection fluid to flow rapidly enough to generate the high pressure needed to break apart rock.
As fracking methods have changed and fracking has expanded, so has the threat to public health and the environment increased.
9. How can fracking booms damage infrastructure and create social problems?
Heavy truck traffic associated with fracking in North Dakota has caused extensive damage to state roads. Drilling and fracking a single well can require more than 1,000 truck trips. North Dakota must spend $7 billion over the next 20 years to maintain local roads, according to a study.
The North Dakota fracking boom has also led to increased traffic accidents and traffic fatality rates. Hospitals in the state's oil-boom area are suffering a debt crisis fueled by the need to treat workers who don't have health insurance or permanent addresses.
10. But won't fracking lead the United States to energy independence?
In a word: No.
While U.S. oil production is increasing, even at its peak we'll still need to import millions of barrels of oil per day. Moreover, oil is a global commodity whose price is dictated by global supply.
Even with extreme extraction techniques, the United States will never completely satisfy its oil needs through domestic production or become closed off from the global oil market. As climate change grows increasingly dangerous, fracking only postpones our necessary transition to an economy that doesn't depend on fossil fuels. The real path to energy independence is through investments in clean-energy technology that we can develop here at home.
What's CRACK AGENT / Expansive Mortar?
CRACK AGENT (Expansive Mortar) is a kind of powder with amazing 18,000 PSI expansive strength when mixed with common water. Poured into holes, CRACK AGENT breaks reinforced concrete & rock safely and quietly, while providing SILENT cracking. Since CRACK AGENT provides controlled demolition according to drilling patterns, it is very easy to break reinforcedconcrete and all kinds of stone into desired sizes and shapes, without noise, vibration or dust.
In demolition, concrete cutting & excavating industry, CRACK AGENT helps you to break reinforced concrete and rock into chunks, so you may easily cut off rebar, haul it away with a crane or truck without damage remaining part.
In mining and quarrying industry, CRACK AGENT helps to achieve perfect slabs and blocks from limestone, onyx, marble, granite or any other type of stone you are working with. Compares to blasting, CRACK AGENT avoids waste of valuable stone, high insurance, costly storage and labor. CRACK AGENT can also be applied along with traditional methods like primer cord, hydraulic breaker, diamond blade saw and jackhammer to help cut cost, work time and increase safety, Plus silent operation, CRACK AGENT is perfect for residential, school and airport area. CRACK AGENT helps your work to become more efficient and cost effective.
Depending on different working temperature, there are four types of crack agent for your choice.
1. Drill holes using an air hammer drill and appropriate drill bit specific to the rock type.
2. Holes should be drilled no further than 30-60cm (1ft-2ft) apart. Note: In reinforced concrete recommended no more than 20cm (8") apart.
3. Recommended hole diameter 38mm - 50mm (1 ½" - 2.0"). Depth would be 70-90% of the way depending on the type of rock/material to be removed.
Mixing
1. For regular safety reasons and mixing small amounts by hand, it is recommended to use rubber gloves.
2. In a bucket, combine 1.5 Liters of water to one 5kgs bag of CRACK AGENT. Or pour water and CRACK AGENT as a rate of 1:3 units by weight.
3. Mix well, using a drill and paddle is recommended. If mixing with a stick or other method, make sure powder is completely dissolved into the water. Mix to a slurry.
Filling
1. Clean holes before filling using air hose remove excess dust from drilling.
2. CRACK AGENT slurry should be poured into holes within 10-15 min. after mixing. Do not fill to the top, only fill the holes about 15mm ( ½" to 1") from the top.
3. Mix well and pour into holes while agitating the hole to make sure no air gaps are in the hole. Example: Using a piece of rod or stick to poke holes.
4. For Horizontal holes, a grouting pump would be most reliable to poor.
Cracking
The cracks appear in 40-60 min. after filling, depending on the weather,rocks, and concrete type. The cracks become wider within time (maximun 48 hours expanding time).
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Sanqiang Building Material.
1. Amazing Expansive Capability
Amazing 18,000 PSI expansive strength when mixed with common water.
2. Easy to use
No training required before use. Just mix with water and then fill into holes. Once mixed with clean water, CRACK AGENT can be poured into holes pre-drilled in the material you are working with It can be poured into the same holes that dangerous explosives are usually placed in.
3. Non-Explosive & Environmentally Friendly
An alternative to blasting, diamond blade saw, hydraulic breaker and jackhammer, which is safer, more efficient, works without noise, vibration, dust by providing silent expansive cracking.
4. Works Efficiently and Cost Effectively
No Special License, training or equipment needed.
1. First step: 5kg in plastic bag
2. Second step: 4 plastic bags in 1 carton
3. Third step: 50-60 cartons on every wooden or plastic pallet.
Well designed hole drilling pattern will minimize consumption of CRACK AGENT by cutting into desired sizes.
To insure success, CRACK AGENT needs FREE SPACE to expand to.
For better results, it is important to note both air and material temperature. Material temperature is the temperature inside of the rock or concrete which can be different from the air temperature.
In summer, the best time to use CRACK AGENT is in the evening when material temperature is cool.
In summer, cover holes from direct sunlight to avoid blow-out. Example: using a tarp or damp hay to provide shade.
If CRACK AGENT completely dries into powder and did NOT crack, pour additional water onto CRACK AGENT filled holes.
When using CRACK AGENT on highly absorbent materials like concrete, the holes should be dampened before the mortar is poured, making sure however, that there is no presence of water.
Fresh mortar should be poured into holes within 5 minutes after mixing.
The workers need to take synchronized operation, especially to hard stone. The quantity of holes each worker responsible to fill has to be moderate. Taking synchronized steps when mixing, stirring and filling will lead to maximum expansive stress with all holes expand at the same time.
When mixing, if CRACK AGENT begins to steam in container, add some water to dilute and process properly.
&#;Make sure that everyone working with CRACK AGENT understands the possibility of blowouts, and has read the technical instructions thoroughly.
&#;CRACK AGENT is a highly alkaline product, pH reaches 13 after contact with water and can cause severe irritation to mucous membranes, especially eyes. Skin and eye contacts with CRACK AGENT must be rinsed off with large amounts of cold water immediately without rubbing. Consult a doctor quickly.
&#;Wear safety goggles and rubber gloves during CRACK AGENT handling, mixing and filling. Dust-proof mask is recommended in poorly ventilated areas such as tunnels or mines.
&#;Plug the holes immediately after filling and cover the holes with straw mat. Keep your face away from the holes filled by mortar. Stay away from filled holes at least 3 hours after filling to avoid blow-out shot. Keep people away from job site after filling .
&#;Warm or bubbling mortar is forbidden to fill into holes. Once filled holes start to smoke or steam, that is the sign they may be about to blow out. Clear the area of people immediately.
&#;Keep people away from jobsite after filling holes. In case of people have to remain in the area, cover filled holes with a tarpaulin.
&#;Take care of fall of cracked block from the cracking object.
The company is the world’s best Rock Demolition Chemical supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.