They contain hydrocarbons including benzene
The Colorado School of Public Health recently published an interesting study entitled "Human Health Risk Assessment of Air Emissions from Development of Unconventional Natural Gas Resources." The gist of the three-year sudy is that pollution from the hydraulic fracking process may cause health problems for people living close to natural gas drilling sites.
The study claims that potentially toxic emmissioms near fracking sites include benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene. Benzene has been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a known carcinogen.
Residents living near hydraulic fracking sites are at the highest risk for respitatory problems during the high emmission well completion period. While short term, this period is when exposure to trimethylbenzenes, aliaphatic hydrocarbons, and xylenes are high. The substances have been linked to neurological as well as respiratory effects.
Here in West Virginia, there are well pad sites very close to schools and children will feel any neurological or respiratory effects before adults. Who knows if children playing outside at recess will be effected? If they are, it will be too late to do anything about it.
