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It seems some of that vapor during hydraulic fracture is carbon dioxide and some is…
Robert Nickelsberg / Getty ImagesAnd according to Dr. Armendariz in an email to Don Young:
After drilling the main well bore, engines, water, sand, chemicals, and pumps are brought to the site to frac the well. Towards the end of the frac process and for a small number of days afterwards, the gas companies will let the well go through a “completion” process. During this time, the well is often let to vent to the atmosphere. During the venting, large amounts of natural gas, water, sand, oils, etc., will rise to the surface.
If you are seeing a “smoke” or some other cloud during the venting process, its possible that in the visible cloud droplets and in the invisible gases around the droplets are mixtures of any of the following: water droplets, water vapor, hydrocarbon liquids, hydrocarbon gases, chemicals used during the fracturing process, small bits of sand, and ?
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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My family in Bradford County, PA, Marcellus Shale, have been slow to wake up to this crisis. The first thing that gets their attention is water quality. I guess it’s easier to understand that- drinking lethal chemicals is a no-brainer (if you believe it will happen which some don’t). Air toxicity is a harder sell. We take the air we breath for granted. We can’t see the chemicals, so we just keep breathing. I have relatives who are severely compromised because of lung disease. They are the people who want gas drilling and the money. There is no explaining some things.
Peacegirl
It’s hard to tell how polluted your area is until you get away a little bit and stand on a hill.
WOW! In a very rural area where I live–Greenwood, Texas, population 75–it’s horribly polluted.