Fracking's Effect on Air Quality

If you have been following the water-related issues from fracking, you might also be interested to hear about air quality issues caused by the process.

According to an article on Mount Vernon News, an expert, Dr. Deborah Cowden M.D., recently spoke at a Stewards of the Land information session, desscribing the air quality effect of fracking activity.

The source for at least part of Cowden's presentation was a study performed in Colorado by the Garfield County Health Department. Garfield has a heavy concentration of fracking wells, making it an ideal location for such a study.

The Assault on Air Quality

Forms of fracking pollutants:

• Dust (from truck traffic and mining process)
• Silica (used in the mining process)
• Smoke (casued by fires and explosions)
• "Volatile organics from condensation tanks, compressor stations, rogue gas and evaporative pits.
• Diesel fumes from drilling engines, large fracking pumps and truck traffic." (Quoted from Mt Vernon News, 6/8/ 2012 to ensure accuracy)

One interesting point, if you drive past one of the fracked sites, you will not see or smell the "volatile organics affecting air quality with the naked eye. You have to have an infrared camera to see this type of odorless air contaminant.




Cowden: Fracking an assault on air quality http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/12/06/08/cowden-fracking-an-assault-on-air-quality.php#ixzz1xIuxnWAL