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Fracking ends marriages and relationships

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Successful marriages require hard work in the best of circumstances. Navigating the stress of shale development in your backyard or neighborhood is too much for many couples. Several I know have not made it.

Those living in fracking sacrifice zones are not the only ones with fractured relationships. The worker’s marriages and relationships also suffer.

A Life That Can Fracture a Relationship
By JOE STEWART
Published: July 11, 2013

Sooner or later, the weeks away from home become too much and the man and woman spit words of fire and tears run down their faces. Sometimes this is the last time the man goes into the oil field, and sometimes it is the last time he goes home. But usually it is somewhere in the middle. None of it adds up as easily as it should.

The article written by a former oilfield worker provides a glimpse into that life–the danger and loneliness.

We have a lot of safety meetings and still this job is many times more dangerous than the average of all industry. We have 80-ton cranes and a mile of hoses pushing grease, water and methanol. There are 2,500 pounds of iron swinging in the air, and explosives being lowered into wells on three miles of cable.
[…]
For 14 hours he has done nothing but lift heavy things and run in circles. For 10 days in a row he has thought of pressure control, and detonators and hammers, and also of her, but not of the world she is in or the things that make up her day.

It also provides a glimpse into why life in the fracking sacrifice zone tears families apart. Methanol and grease? 80-ton cranes? Explosives and detonators? This are not the things that make up the world of families, and communities. Exposure to toxic vapors, contaminated water, constant noise and bright lights, diminished property values, spoiled serenity and greed are other fracking related things that tear families and communities apart.
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Last week I received this email in my inbox. Names have been removed.
NAME OF FRIEND, I know you’ll understand this one.  We have been discussing the divorce rate in our neighborhood, and among friends who live close to drill sites.  I will probably miss one or two, but, on our street of just over 35 homes since the onset of drilling we have had the FAMILY, FAMILY-2, FAMILY-3, FAMILY-4, FAMILY-5, FAMILY-6, FAMILY-7, and one FAMILY-8 I can’t remember their name.  Not on NAME OF STREET, I know the FAMILY-9 directly across from the NAME OF FACILITY site, and the FAMILY-10.  Some of these divorces are ongoing.  Many of these are my friends and have been married for years.  I know that we have all kinds of other pressures in life, but the psychological challenges added to everyday life, make staying married in the patch even harder.  One thing I’ve noticed is the agitation, and how easy it is to become irritated during exposure.  As a woman, I tend to become overly emotional during exposure, for no reason whatsoever.  It’s a Jekyll and Hyde life never knowing what emotion will show up.  It’s a wonder any of us can stay married!

And this was the response from the friend:

The divorce rate has got to be higher. The stress is unbelievable and the combo of chemical exposure just adds to the mix. Very sad.

We know cancer is the leading cause of death in two of the most heavily drilled Barnett Shale counties. It will be interesting to see if someone researches the divorce rates.

I don’t know what category to assign to this post.

Also see:

Oilfield Jobs: Workers suffer “horrific deaths.
OIL FIELD SERVICES: Workers in Eagle Ford file suit over wages, hours

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.

Comments

  1. Fish Creek Neighbor says

    When it comes to relationships, fracking is a no-win situation.

    I’ve seen this issue pit neighbor against neighbor.

    If one spouse works in the industry, the relationship becomes strained because of long periods of time spent apart.

    For those fighting to keep fracking out of their communities, it strains relationships because often times both partners are not equally on board with the issue.

    Bottom line ~ Fracking is a lose-lose for everyone. No one comes out a winner.
    Fish Creek Neighbor recently posted..XTO Energy ~ A Master of Disguise?My Profile

    • TXsharon says

      From my casual observation, most often it’s the women who are most involved. Many times the women and children are home more so they get more exposures.

  2. Don Young says

    Bravo to you, Sharon, for exposing this secondary impact of fracking. When I created a list of fracking impacts in 2005 this one did not occur to me.