Fracking

Fossil Fuels 101: Everything You Need to Know

Fossil Fuels 101: Everything You Need to Know

Quick Key Facts What Are Fossil Fuels? Fossil fuels are fuels that literally come from fossils. Tens of millions of years ago, plants took energy from the sun and used it to turn carbon dioxide and water into carbon and hydrogen via photosynthesis. Animals ate those plants and stored the same elements in their bodies. […]

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    First-of-Its-Kind Study Measures Fracking’s Impact on Nearby Surface Water Quality

    First-of-Its-Kind Study Measures Fracking’s Impact on Nearby Surface Water Quality

    A new study correlates poorer surface water quality with nearby hydraulic fracturing but finds that the impacts aren’t major enough to be considered harmful by federal regulators. However, the researchers noted they weren’t able to study “potentially more dangerous” substances related to fracking because of a lack of data. While some published studies have already […]

    EPA Approved Exxon’s ‘Forever Chemicals’ for Fracking in 2011

    EPA Approved Exxon’s ‘Forever Chemicals’ for Fracking in 2011

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved dangerous chemicals that break down into PFAS for use in fracking in 2011, according to records obtained by Physicians for Social Responsibility and reported by The New York Times. Despite EPA scientists having identified preliminary evidence the carcinogenic, and birth-defect-linked substances could degrade into those “forever chemicals” and […]

    Living Near Fracking Wells Is Linked to Higher Rate of Heart Attacks, Study Finds

    Living Near Fracking Wells Is Linked to Higher Rate of Heart Attacks, Study Finds

    By Kristina Marusic Living among fracking wells is linked to higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths due to heart attacks, according to a new study. The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Research, compared heart attack rates in Pennsylvania counties with fracking to demographically similar counties in New York where fracking is banned. “There’s […]

    Fracking 101: What You Should Know

    Fracking 101: What You Should Know

    What is fracking? Fracking is a process of blasting water, chemicals and frac sand deep into the earth to break up sedimentary rock and access natural gas and crude oil deposits. The fracking industry, which has sought to promote the practice as safe and controlled, has preferred the term “hydraulic fracturing.” Fracking emerged as an […]

    Sky-High Levels of Fracking Chemicals Detected in Children’s Bodies

    Sky-High Levels of Fracking Chemicals Detected in Children’s Bodies

    While the hazards of fracking to human health are well-documented, first-of-its-kind research from Environmental Health News shows the actual levels of biomarkers for fracking chemicals in the bodies of children living near fracking wells far higher than in the general population. The research fills a gap in the science between the health harms experienced by […]

    How One Utah Community Fought the Fracking Industry — and Won

    How One Utah Community Fought the Fracking Industry — and Won

    By Tara Lohan A sign at the north end of Kanab, Utah, proclaims the town of 4,300 to be “The Greatest Earth on Show.” It’s a rare case of truth in advertising. Kanab sits just seven miles north of the Arizona state line, at the crossroads of some of the Southwest’s most beautiful places. In […]