Fracking Chemicals Detected in Pennsylvania Drinking Water, Study Says
Fracking Chemicals Detected in Pennsylvania Drinking Water, Study Says
1 minute read
Threaded drilling pipes are stacked at a hydraulic fracturing site owned by EQT Corp. located atop the Marcellus shale rock formation in Washington Township, Penn., U.S., on Oct. 31, 2013.Ty Wright—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Environmental scientists have detected chemical compounds used for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the drinking water of three Pennsylvania households, according to a new study.
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University said samples of drinking water contained trace amounts of 2-Butoxyethanol, a compound used in drilling fluid as well as household paint and cosmetics, the New York Times reports. The contaminant was found in such microscopic concentrations that it posed no immediate health risk.
Researchers say the discovery raises questions about the integrity of drilling wells in the Marcellus Shale, a vast subterranean natural gas field in North America, and industry claims that wells sunk thousands of feet below aquifers did not require the same steel and concrete encasements as wells closer to the surface.
Families relax by “The Pond” at sunset. “The Pond” is on the North East corner of the Dhahran Golf Course in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.Ayesha MalikA mother waves goodbye to her daughter on Lemon Circle as she leaves for Dhahran School on the school bus at 7am. Aramco schools are all located within the compound.Ayesha MalikDhahran Commissary is located near the main office area. Generally, it gets busy around 4pm when people leave work.
Ayesha MalikA female employee of Saudi Aramco.Ayesha MalikA major oil facility under construction in Jubail Industrial City. This is a Joint Venture between Saudi Aramco and a foreign oil company. Jubail is located on the East coast and is the largest petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia.
Ayesha MalikWorkers at an oil facility construction site in Jubail.
Ayesha MalikWorkers brave the extreme temperature of the desert, sometimes above 120 degrees farenheit, to keep Dhahran’s landscape green and pristine.Ayesha MalikNurses from Dhahran Health Center wait for a bus after work in front of the Commissary. Saudi Aramco’s health center was first operated by the company itself, but since 2014, it became Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, the first-of-its-kind health care joint venture between Saudi Aramco, a world leader in energy, and Johns Hopkins Medicine.Ayesha MalikSaudi Aramco Beach, “Half Moon Bay,” Azizyah. This is a private beach for Saudi Aramco employees and their guests.Ayesha MalikSahrr sits on her car after driving out to the jebels on the Western side of Dhahran. In Arabic, jebel means mountain or hill. Many Aramcons use the term to refer to large rocky areas. While women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, they are allowed to drive within Aramco compounds, including Dhahran, the largest of them all.Ayesha MalikA city of oil tanks, one of many tank farms in the Eastern Province.Ayesha MalikA translplanted American “Bluebird” school bus is used to transport workers. These buses are a common site in Saudi Arabia. Some of them still have the name of the original American school district.Ayesha MalikTwo boys wait for their turn at a skate competition at the local skate park in Dhahran Hills.Ayesha MalikMr. Embleton is a Canadian expatriate working for Saudi Aramco Public Relations. Sometimes, he chooses to wear a traditional Saudi thobe and guthra to work.Ayesha MalikSaudi Aramco CEO’s displayed at the local Heritage Gallery.
Ayesha MalikUS Maps colored and labeled by Dhahran Middle School students in a geography assignment. Education has always been part of Saudi Aramco’s legacy.
Ayesha Malik; Saudi Aramco World Digital Image Archive, SAWDIAA woman poses in a contemporary, yet traditionally inspired, Middle Eastern dress.Ayesha MalikAn onlooker wears his Texans Santa hat at the annual Returning Student Co-ed Softball game during Christmas time in Dhahran. Aramco schooling runs from kindergarten to ninth grade. After this time, schooling is generally continued overseas or in one of the nearby international schools.Ayesha MalikA gardner works in the backyard at a home in Dhahran.Ayesha MalikThe Dhahran skyline. When Aramco first began, palm trees were flown in from the United States.Ayesha Malik
