Those tests were not mandatory and there is no indication that they were carried out. 26, 2011, EPA scientists pointed to preliminary evidence that, under some conditions, the chemicals could "degrade in the environment" into substances akin to PFOA, a kind of PFAS chemical, and could "persist in the environment" and "be toxic to people, wild mammals, and birds." The EPA scientists recommended additional testing. In a consent order issued for the three chemicals on Oct. "It's very disturbing to see the extent to which critical information about these chemicals is shielded from public view," Barbara Gottlieb, PSR's Environment & Health Program director, said Monday in a press release. "The lack of transparency about fracking chemicals puts human health at risk."
While the Times noted that the newly released documents constitute some of the earliest evidence of the possible presence of PFAS in fracking fluids, PSR's report warns that "the lack of full disclosure of chemicals used in oil and gas operations raises the potential that PFAS could have been used even more extensively than records indicate, both geographically and in other stages of the oil and gas extraction process, such as drilling, that precede the underground injections known as fracking." The EPA's approval in 2011 of three new compounds for use in oil and gas drilling or fracking that can eventually break down into PFAS, also called "forever chemicals," was not publicized until Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) obtained internal records from the agency through a Freedom of Information Act request, the New York Times reported Monday after reviewing the files.Īccording to PSR's new report, Fracking with "Forever Chemicals, " oil and gas companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and others engaged in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have since 2012 pumped toxic chemicals that can form PFAS into more than 1,200 wells in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming. "The Obama-Biden administration approved the use of toxic PFAS chemicals for fracking a decade ago, and all these years later, Biden's practices haven't seemed to change a bit." Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.Between 20, fossil fuel corporations injected potentially carcinogenic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or chemicals that can degrade into PFAS, into the ground while fracking for oil and gas, after former President Barack Obama's Environmental Protection Agency approved their use despite agency scientists' concerns about toxicity. NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Summary Source | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: chemical #1 PFAS #2 **E.P.A.** #3 substances #4 toxic #5
commerce, and this line of defense is struggling to maintain its integrity," the whistle-blowers said in their disclosure, which was released by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a Maryland-based nonprofit group. scientists evaluating new chemicals "Are the last line of defense between harmful - even deadly - chemicals and their introduction into U.S.
office in charge of reviewing toxic chemicals tampered with the assessments of dozens of chemicals to make them appear safer.Į.P.A. In recent days, whistle-blowers have alleged in the Intercept that the E.P.A. The Toxic Substances Control Act grandfathered in thousands of chemicals already in commercial use, including many PFAS chemicals. The E.P.A.'s assessment was carried out under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, which authorizes the agency to review and regulate new chemicals before they are manufactured or distributed. Still, he said it was clear "That the approved polymer, if and when it breaks down in the environment, will break down into PFAS.".
Schug, a professor of analytical Chemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington, said the chemicals identified in the FracFocus database fell into the PFAS group of compounds, although he added that there was not enough information to make a direct link between the chemicals in the database to the ones approved by the E.P.A. (I'm a bot)Ī class of man-made chemicals that are toxic even in minuscule concentrations, for decades PFAS were used to make products like nonstick pans, stain-resistant carpeting and firefighting foam. This is the best tl dr I could make, original reduced by 49%.