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Radiation From Fracking? No Problemo

This article is more than 9 years old.

While many environmental issues whirl around the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, at least we don’t have to worry about radiation.

In the most comprehensive study of the subject ever conducted, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection found that there is no concern of radiation exposure from fracking wells for oil or gas (PA DEP News Release).

Released last week, the Technologically-Enhanced Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Material, or TENORM, study, analyzed the levels of radioactivity associated with oil and gas development in Pennsylvania, particularly fracking. PA DEP Deputy Secretary Vince Brisini said the study concluded there is little potential for harm to workers or the public from radiation exposure from fracking for either oil or gas.

Only a few samples analyzed in the study were found with radiation levels above that of potato chips, which have the highest radioactivity of all foods.

Rocks, sediments and sands contain naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) such as uranium, thorium, potassium-40, carbon-14 and tritium (H-3) as well as their daughter products (see figure at end of post), particularly radon (Rn) and radium (Ra).

TENORM is produced when activities such as mining, sewage treatment, de-watering or drilling, concentrate these radioactive materials to higher levels than occur naturally. Particularly important is the decay product Ra whose half-life and radioactivity are in just the right range to make it a problem. Ra also acts like calcium (Ca) and precipitates as carbonate scale in pipes.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett called for this radiological study two years ago, at a time when PA DEP began studying radioactivity levels in other parts of the fracking and drilling process - flowback waters, treatment solids, drill cuttings and drilling wastes.

PA DEP was also studying radon levels in the natural gas itself.

PA DEP had begun similar studies over 20 years ago (PA DEP 1991 NORM Study). Although those studies were not as extensive, the result were similar.

This recent peer-reviewed study concludes that there is little potential for exposure to radioactivity for the general public from all fracking activities, including everything from the development to the storage and the end use of the natural gas (see Figure 1).

In particular, the TENORM study concluded that:

- There is little potential for additional radon exposure to the public due to the use of natural gas extracted from geologic formations located in Pennsylvania.

- There is little or limited potential for radiation exposure to the public and workers from the development, completion, production, transmission, processing, storage, and end use of natural gas. There are, however, potential radiological environmental impacts from fluids if spilled. Radium should be added to the Pennsylvania spill protocol to ensure cleanups are adequately characterized. There are also site-specific circumstances and situations where the use of personal protective equipment by workers or other controls should be evaluated.

- There is little potential for radiation exposure to workers and the public at facilities that treat oil and gas wastes. However, there are potential radiological environmental impacts that should be studied at all facilities in Pennsylvania that treat wastes to determine if any areas require remediation. If elevated radiological impacts are found, the development of radiological discharge limitations and spill policies should be considered.

- There is little potential for radiation exposure to the public and workers from landfills receiving waste from the oil and gas industry. However, filter cake from facilities treating wastes could have a radiological environmental impact if spilled, and there is also a potential long-term disposal issue. TENORM disposal protocols should be reviewed to ensure the safety of long-term disposal of waste containing TENORM.

- While limited potential was found for radiation exposure to recreationists using roads treated with brine from conventional natural gas wells, further study of radiological environmental impacts from the use of brine from the oil and gas industry for dust suppression and road stabilization should be conducted.

It should be pointed out that these study results most likely apply to all fracking and drilling activities across the United States since Pennsylvania has some of the most radioactive source rocks in the country.

You might remember that whenever radioactive emissions come up in discussions of nuclear power, someone always points out that the mining, drilling and burning of fossil fuels emit much more radiation in total than nuclear energy does.

And that’s true.

Because ore deposits, gas deposits, coal and oil tend to contain and concentrate NORM to varying degrees, especially in unconventional deposits like tar sands, oil shales and gas shales, using these materials in our lives has increased radiation levels much more than nuclear power has.

But both are so low that there is no reason to be worried at all (Nukes In My Backyard), a previous understanding borne out by this study.

"While the recommendations for future actions contained in the report call for additional studies and efforts, we now have data to inform management of natural gas resources and resultant wastes for environmental and health protection," Vince Brisini said.

With 15 million Americans living within a mile from a fracking well, this is an important result. Now the same studies have to be done for carcinogenic volatile organic compounds such as benzene and the xylenes.

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