Reasons Why Fracking is a Bad Idea

Communities were forced to truck water to their homes when well water became too polluted to drink. Methane and toxic chemicals linked to fracking are among the pollutants.

FREMONT, CA: Fracking is drilling down into the earth before injecting a large amount of water, sand, and chemicals into the rock at high pressure — high enough to crack the rock — allowing the once-trapped oil and gas to flow to the surface of the drilling well's head.

Fracking is a Dangerous for a Variety of Reasons.

Fracking Hastens Climate Change.

Natural gas comprises the powerful greenhouse gas methane, which traps 86 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Leaks from oil and gas operations are the country's leading source of human-caused methane pollution. As methane traps more heat in the atmosphere, fracking natural gas is worse than coal and oil. If our planet warms another two degrees Celsius, it will cause irreversible climate change.

Fracking Contaminates Drinking Water. Fracking has contaminated drinking water from Wyoming to Texas to Pennsylvania.

Fracking Sickens People and Causes a Slew of Public Health Issues.

Fracking has been linked to various health issues, including difficulty breathing, asthma, throat and nose irritation, skin issues, abdominal issues, headaches, nosebleeds, eye irritation, cancer, and hair loss. In addition, some women have experienced reproductive health issues due to fracking, linked to infertility, miscarriages, and congenital disabilities.

Earthquakes are caused by Fracking and the Disposal of Fracking Wastewater.

Tremors and earthquakes caused by fracking have occurred across North America. In addition, the fracking process and the underground disposal of fracking wastewater have been linked to earthquakes. Methane and toxic chemicals linked to fracking are among the pollutants.

Fracking Generates Toxic and Radioactive Waste Water

 Chemical-laced water used to frack gas wells is recycled as wastewater from the original fracking fluids and potentially dangerous underground contaminants and radioactivity levels. These harmful chemicals can cause cancer, harm sensory organs and the respiratory system, and harm the nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems.

Fracking is Driving a Huge Petrochemical and Plastics Boom.

It's a vicious cycle: more fracking leads to more petrochemical and plastics production, supporting more fracking. These petrochemical and plastics plants, which are developing throughout the Gulf Coast and springing up in Appalachia, release vast air and climate pollution.

Microplastic Molecules end up in Everything — Sea salt, bottled water, organic compost, and much more — since this plastic doesn't dissolve and pollutes rivers, landscapes, seas, and marine life. Consumers consume about 5 grams of this leftover plastic per week, roughly equivalent to one credit card.