Radioactive contamination from fracking wastewater spills

A Duke University study of fracking wastewater spills in North Dakota has found high levels of selenium, lead, ammonium, and other toxic compounds. High levels of radium 226, radioactive with a half-life of 1600 years, were also found. The researchers observed that pipeline leaks were responsible for half of the spilled wastewater, with the remainder coming from valves, connections, tank leaks, and tank overflows.

“Unlike spilled oil, which starts to break down in soil, these spilled brines consist of inorganic chemicals, metals and salts that are resistant to biodegradation,” said Lauer, a Ph.D. student who was lead author of the study. “They don’t go away; they stay. This has created a legacy of radioactivity at spill sites.”

Their study concluded: "The resistance of inorganic contamination to biodegradation and its consequential persistence in the environment suggest that contamination from brine spills in North Dakota will continue to impact nearby water resources for years to come. To fully understand the impacts of brine spills in North Dakota, future research should evaluate additional spill sites, analyze organic contamination in addition to inorganic elements, assess the impacts downstream of spill sites, including risks to drinking water sources, and conduct a comprehensive assessment of long-term ecological and possible human health impacts."

http://drcinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ND-brine-spill.pdf

"Brine Spills Associated with Unconventional Oil Development in North Dakota"

Nancy E. Lauer, et al, Environmental Science and Technology journal

http://oilpatchdispatch.areavoices.com/2016/04/27/spill-contaminati...

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0ym9x5ag7ury2Permalink Reply by 0ym9x5ag7ury2 on May 14, 2016 at 7:28am

Brine is safe when used in Ohio.

Those Ladies who tried to stop the use of Brine on Ohio roadways in the winter, were silenced by the court and are no longer allowed to discuss this topic using the word RADIOACTIVE.

Fracking is safe in Ohio.

Cracker Plants are safe in Ohio.

Salt Dome Storage of Ethane is safe in Ohio.

Is there a pattern forming here?

If you can't save enough money to move out of the O&G play, you might consider speaking out while our air is somewhat clean depending on where you live, and the frack fluids are still contained in the ground, I hope.

Permalink Reply by Paul Heckbert on May 15, 2016 at 4:04am

Saying "this is safe in Ohio" four times (while tapping your ruby red slippers together) might not do the trick, Ron.

Unfortunately, there are no consistent federal requirements before drilling wastewater (whether from conventional wells or from fracking) is sprayed on roads:

"A 2014 U.S. Geological Survey study analyzed roadside sediment where produced brine from conventional wells had been spread as a de-icer and found elevated levels of radium, strontium, calcium and sodium. Radium is radioactive and can thus be carcinogenic. ...

In New York State, for example, before approving a permit application for road spreading its Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) analyzes a representative brine sample for chloride, total dissolved solids, pH, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, barium, lead, sulfates, oil and grease content; it also tests for volatile organic compounds including benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene. ... Ohio, in contrast, does not require gas and oil well tests for every application before the raw brine is used as a de-icer. ...

It's a state-based process, and that's what concerns me because some states have taken the posture that they will not regulate [the oil] industry," she notes. "If unregulated, then we may be putting petroleum products, diesel fuel, solvents, known carcinogens on our roads and increasing the risk of cancer and really serious health effects to people."

source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/road-de-icing-fluids-may-...

Permalink Reply by Robert Bond on May 14, 2016 at 7:36am

I seem to remember that glow in the dark watch and clock dials are also radioactive. 

0ym9x5ag7ury2Permalink Reply by 0ym9x5ag7ury2 on May 14, 2016 at 12:58pm

Those watches were alpha & beta emitters that were stopped by the plastic lens. Some radiation does get through since they read out on radiation instruments.

This low level radiation won't kill you in the short term, but those cells that have DNA damaged by ionizing events can multiply and cause cancer or leukemia. That's why low dose long term exposure should be prevented if possible. Unless of course using Brine is more economical, and the companies that supply it share their take with the right people.

So I ask you, what's in your wallet?

Permalink Reply by Bob Byler on May 14, 2016 at 2:35pm
This should be entitled, "THE CRACKPOT THREAD,"
Paul has found a friend! :)
Permalink Reply by Kirby J Decker on June 24, 2016 at 12:32pm

What about the tritium sights on my pistol ?

0ym9x5ag7ury2Permalink Reply by 0ym9x5ag7ury2 on September 17, 2016 at 3:25am

Kirby,

      Find a Nuclear Electric Generating Plant Radiation Technician and ask them if the grounds around the plant are contaminated with Tritium. The answer will be yes. Tritium shows up in the surface water and plants across the nations Nuclear Generating Plants.

Here is how your Tritium sight works:

Tritium is used as a radioactive tracer, in radioluminescent light sources for watches and instruments, and in nuclear weapons.

While tritium has several different experimentally determined values of its half-life, the National Institute of Standards and Technology lists 4,500 ± 8 days (12.32 ± 0.02 years).[1] It decays into helium-3 by beta decay as in this nuclear equation:

3
1T 		 →  3
2He1+ 		 +  e−  +  ν
e

and it releases 18.6 keV of energy in the process. The electron's kinetic energy varies, with an average of 5.7 keV, while the remaining energy is carried off by the nearly undetectable electron antineutrino. Beta particles from tritium can penetrate only about 6.0 mm of air, and they are incapable of passing through the dead outermost layer of human skin.

Permalink Reply by Thomas Lilli on September 17, 2016 at 10:28pm
Early watches had radon emitters for illumination and those watches actually left scars on wrists of the wearer in the form of a an image of the watch face.
Permalink Reply by Jack Young on May 15, 2016 at 11:07am

It's worth remembering that almost everything that comes from underground is more radioactive than what we find on the surface - that applies to stone, coal and even domestic well water in many states. Oil field brine is no different, and so singling it out for criticism isn't really attacking the basic problem.

Permalink Reply by Joseph-Ohio on May 15, 2016 at 12:08pm

Thinking, if it weren't for radioactivity, life itself, in any form, would not exist.

Of course too much of anything can 'do in' any life form.

A part / a constituent of life itself as I've read / interpret.

Permalink Reply by Robert Bond on May 15, 2016 at 1:28pm

And don't forget that we are all exposed to radiation every time we are out in the sun!!!

Permalink Reply by Paul Heckbert on May 15, 2016 at 1:59pm

A joke, I guess, Robert Bond?

(Radiation such as sunlight is a different thing from radioactivity, such as from radium. The former is common and (if you block the ultraviolet) non-carcinogenic. The latter is carcinogenic in high doses.)

Some of the concentrations of radium found in North Dakota were 64 becquerels per liter of water (World Health Organization guideline for safe levels of radium 228 are 0.1 becquerels per liter). So these levels were over 100x worse than threshold levels of radiation. So ND got high doses.

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