hydrofracking public health penning

8/11/2019 Hydrofracking Public Health Penning

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Trevor M. Penning, Ph.D.

Director Center of Excellence in EnvironmentalToxicologyPerelman School of Medicine

[email protected]

www.med.upenn.edu/ceet

Hydrofracking:

Public Health Issues and

Impacts


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What is the Marcellus Shale?

Half the land mass of Pennsylvan

22,835 sq miles

84 trillion cubic ft of natural gas

Price is $4 - $14 per cubic ft

Enough for the entire US populatifor 4 yrs

Shale sedimentary rock

Organic rich and porous

Contains thermogenic methane


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The Drill Rig

Drill head and pad 5-10 acre plot

Ideally one per sq mile

Saturating drilling 8 per square mi

High density drilling in SusquehanCo, PA

Pennsylvania would need 22,000 to160,000 drill rigs

In April 2012 > 12,000 permits


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Permit Sites in PA April 2012

(produced with Harvard World Maps)


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The Fracking Process


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The Holding Ponds for Flow-Back Water

Need 5M gallons water per well head

Each truck carries 3,000 gallons wate

1667 truck loads

Proppant: 1.5 M pounds (silica/sand)

Requires 750 truck loads

X1 to x10 frack episodes per well


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Trucking

Diesel Trucks Deliver:

Drill-Rigs

Proppant

Fracking chemicals

Compressor parts

Gas line piping

Diesel Trucks Remove:

Natural gas

Waste water


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Night-Time Flaring

Well is tested by flaring

Release of methane: BETEX(benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene,and xylene)

Move towards marketing wet-gasa larger portion of methane is burn

Release of hydrogen sulfide


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Processing and Transport

Dehydration and condensation toremove water and VOCs

Liquefy hydrocarbon by-products(propane and butane)

Compressor stations to pressurizenatural gas for pipe-lines

High-pressure gas lines navigatePA countryside

Welding exempt from safetyregulations in rural areas

Pipes join national grid

Additi T i F ki Fl id


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Additive Types in Fracking Fluid

Arthur et al., (2008) Hydraulic Fracturing Considerations for Natural gas

P t ti l f W t P ll ti F ki Fl id


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Potential for Water Pollution-Fracking Fluid

0.49% of fracking fluid contains amixture of chemicals

Composition is a trade-secret

Some chemicals listed by class annot by CAS registry number

95 tons of chemicals are used

per well base

Classes of chemicals used includ-BETEX-Substituted benzenes-Ethylene glycol

-Petroleum distillate-Silica-Sodium and potassium salts-Ammonium salts

(Source DEP-P

Possible Health Effects of Chemicals with CAS Registry


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Possible Health Effects of Chemicals with CAS Registry

Solubles (n=206) Volatiles (n =126)

Colborn et al., Human & Ecolog Risk Assess. 2011; 17,

P t ti l f W t P ll ti Fl B k Fl id


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Potential for Water Pollution- Flow-Back Fluid

MCL = maximum contaminant level ppm

Potential for Water Pollution Flow Back Fluid


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Potential for Water Pollution- Flow-Back Fluid

Potential for Air Pollution VOCs and PM 2 5


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Potential for Air Pollution VOCs and PM 2.5

Photochemistry between VOCs and nitrogen oxides generate

ground level ozone

Ground level ozone exacerbates underlying asthma and COPDand causes lung injury

PM2.5 when inhaled lodge in the deep lung (bronchioles and alve

PM2.5 carbonaecous core adsorbs PAH, nitro-PAH and heavy me

PM2.5 invoke an inflammatory response and contain probable

lung carcinogens (IARC)

Occupational Exposures 1


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Occupational Exposures -1

NIOSH Concerned about safety of workers Eleven states and five sites visited

>150 different occupations involved Hydrogen sulfide exposure at the well-head Movement of sand for proppant and silicosis

(Courtesy of Esswein-NIOSH)


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Animal Sentinels


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Animal Sentinels

Survey of production and companion animaleffects in CO, LA, NY, OH, PA and TX

Eighteen hydraulically fractured wells

Documented 17 different events across species:ovine, equine, poultry, canine, feline and fish species

Health effects were across multiple organ systems:sudden death, reproductive, neurologic, musculoskeletal,GI, dematologic

Association between exposure to contaminated water-multiple source

(Source Bamberger and Oswald, New Solutions 22: 51, 2012)


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Methane in Drinking Water Comes From Natural Gas Drillin


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Methane in Drinking Water Comes From Natural Gas Drillin

51/60 drinking wells tested + ive (Osborn et al., PNAS 2011, 108: 8

Air Pollution Studies from Barnett Shale


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Air Pollution Studies from Barnett Shale

Emission Sources in Barnett Shale -2009 NOx and VOC 5 Counties Natural Gas Drilling

- 96 - 212 tons per day : Compressor engines exhaust and tanks

- 191- 307 tons per day: Oil and gas sources- 165 tons per day : Oil and gas production- 121 tons per day: on road vehicle emissions

NOx and VOC Inventories in Dallas-Forth Worth Metropolitan Area-16 tons per day from airport

-273 tons per day on road vehicle emissions

Greenhouse gas (CO2and Methane)-33,000 tons per day of CO2equivalent = two 750 MW coal-fired power plan- compressor stations and fugitive methane

Benzene and Formaldehyde from Barnett Shale- 6- 7 tons per day

( source, Environmental Defense Fund, 2009)

Public Health Concerns


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Public Health Concerns

Hazard x Exposure = Health R

Slick-waterFracking chemicalsContaminants in flowback water

VOCs and ozoneCH4and hydrocarbonsDiesel exhaust andPM2.5

Water pollutionMigrationAquifersWell waterSurface water

Air pollutionDrill head proximityCompressor stationsTransportation

Occupational

Vulnerable populations: children, pregnant women

x

What research needs to be done?


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External Dose:air and water quality longitudinal sampling-GIS tools (lack of base line data)identify exposures for biomonitoring

Internal Dose:biomarkers of exposure: (VOCs/PM2.5/heavy metals/other contaminants)reliable LOC for all chemical contaminants (RfD)biomarkers of effect: (intermediate disease biomarkers)

Epidemiological Study Longitudinal (> 5 yrs):will require CBPR approachbase line health assessmentuse of personalized air monitors/biosensors (external dose)serum and urine/biofluids for biomarkers (internal dose)each person their own control

Mechanistic Toxicologycomponents of fracking fluids and flow back watercomplex mixture problemHTS in vitro assays for triage to animal testing



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at esea c eeds to be do e

Community Outreach and Disseminationaffected communitieslandowners and leasers

municipalities and townshipslocal, state and federal legislators and agenciesgas and drilling companies

Health Effects and Outcomes Researchpublic health professionals

occupational and environmental health physiciansstress of rapid industrializationincrease in substance abuse and crimenoise and sleep deprivationmonitor disease registries

Health Services Researchincrease in hospital and mental health servicesincrease in accidents and injuryuse of emergency medical servicesare the sources adequate

State of Affairs in Pennsylvania


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Gov. Tom Corbett (R) elected Jan 2011-refuses to invoke an impact fee on gas-drillers

PA-DEP Secretary Krancer places moratorium on waste water tmafter US EPA Region III intervenes-May 2011

Delaware Basin Water Commission postpones decision onhydrofracking indefinitely-November 21, 2011

SB1100/HB-1950-Act 13: Impact fee introduced

-state takes back zoning authority from townships and municipalit-imposes CDA for health care professionals to treat patients

State has primacy for water safety under SDWA and CWA-Hailburton exemption makes flow-back water exempt from SDWA

Tom Corbett: I will direct the DEP to return to its core missionof protecting the environment based on sound science

Need for inter-EHSCC Consortia


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PotentialHealth Hazard

Large

Population

EnvironmentalScientists

Mechanistic Toxicology

Exposure Science

Translation- Environmental Law

Translation-Public Health Policy

Translation-Targeted Communities

Community Based

Participatory Resea

Epidemiology &

Biostatistics

Public HealthProfessionals& Clinicians

VeterinaryMedicine

Animal Sentinels

Requires: $$$Consortia of best talent-inter EHSCC

EHSCC Hydrofracking Working Group


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y g g p

Joseph Beckman Oregon State University

Cornelius (Kees) Elferink- UTMBTom Gasiewicz- University of RochesterJohn Groopman- Johns Hopkins UniversityDavid Johnson MD AndersonTrevor Penning University of PennsylvaniaRegina Santella ColumbiaPeter Thorne U. IowaJames Swenberg UNCHelmut Zarbl - Rutgers

Latest Developments


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Institute of Medicine April 30-May 1, 2012The Health Impact Assessment of New Energy Sources:

Shale Gas Extraction

http://iom.edu/Activities/Environment/EnvironmentalHealthRT/2012-APR-30.aspx

Frac Act Senators: Bob Casey (D-PA) and Chuck Schumer

(D-NY)

April 17thExecutive Order 13605-President ObamaSupporting Safe and Responsible Development ofUnconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources

Federal Register page and date: 77 FR 23107, April 17, 2012

April 17th, new EPA regulations to curtail emissions by 2015

The Precautionary Principle


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The precautionary principle states that

if an action or policy has a suspectedrisk of causing harm to the public or tothe environment, in the absence ofscientific consensus that the action orpolicy is harmful, the burden of proofthat it is notharmful falls on thosetaking the action.

hydrofracking public health penning

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