17512 Columbia

“Don’t be fooled: Fracking fluid isn’t safe”

On April 1, April Fools’ Day, Food & Water Watch created this fake ad to signal the dangers of fracking.

“‘You can drink it … I’m still alive.’

That’s what Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said about his experience of drinking fracking fluid. It’s the same thing we’ve been hearing from the fracking industry for years. They tell us: don’t worry, because fracking fluid is perfectly safe.

“What’s next? Frack-o-cola?

freck-o-cola

“Don’t be fooled. Fracking fluid is nasty stuff. We don’t know everything that’s in it, because fracking is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act and the industry doesn’t have to disclose what’s in this fluid. But we do know that fracking fluid contains over 600 chemicals, and that it can contaminate our fresh water.

“Fracking is a form of natural gas drilling that involves the injection of millions of gallons of “frack fluid” into dense shale rock in order to crack the rock and release the gas. Frack fluid contains any combination of up to nearly 600 chemicals along with millions of gallons of water and sand. After frack fluid is injected into the earth, some of it comes back out in the form of wastewater that cannot safely be treated in standard wastewater facilities.

  • Fracking chemicals are toxic and can contaminate water as a result of spills or accidents.
  • Fracking produces hazardous wastewater, which can contain radioactive substances as well as toxic chemicals, making disposal difficult and dangerous.
  • Fracking requires millions of gallons of water, which can deplete local water supplies.
  • Fracking can cause natural gas to migrate into drinking water sources, which can cause houses and wells to explode.
  • There have been more than 1,000 documented cases of water contamination near drilling sites around the country.
  • People who live in areas where fracking occurs experience contaminated water, reduced property value, increased truck traffic, loud noise, explosions and even illness.

You can find reports and fact sheets on our site: http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/fracking/

“Please click here to sign a petition to let your elected officials know you’re not fooled about the safety of fracking, and they shouldn’t be, either.”

SOURCE: Food and Water Watch

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