The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
May 4, 2012

Study: Fracking Could Contaminate Drinking Water at Quicker Pace 
-----------------------------------------------------------------


 
A new study has found chemicals injected into the ground as part of the
controversial natural gas drilling process known as “fracking” could
reach drinking water supplies at a far faster rate than initially
believed. The study, published in the journal Ground Water, focused on
the Marcellus shale, a massive rock formation stretching through New
York and other states where thousands of natural gas wells have been
drilled. While scientists previously thought the rock would contain
so-called fracking fluid and its blend of dangerous chemicals —
keeping it away from water supplies — researchers found the
fracking process is making the rocks highly permeable. They concluded
the chemicals could reach the surface in “just a few years.”

 

.