Finally
Years into the Marcellus shale boom, Pennsylvania is finally going to begin testing drilling waste water and equipment for unsafe levels of radiation.
We do not know if radiation contamination from drilling is a problem — but it sure is not something we believe should be left to chance.
Considering that few people are keen on being unknowingly exposed to radioactive material, this is a no-brainer that should have been started a long time ago. It’s a move that should make everyone more comfortable, from people who work at drill sites and make their living from gas extraction to those who fear drilling will destroy the environment. That’s because the testing covers waste water from hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, which is always a flashpoint for environmentalists.
The new testing — which will begin this month — will include analyzing waste water and also will analyze radioactivity in equipment that workers at drill sites come into regular contact with, including drill cuttings, drilling mud, drilling equipment, treatment solids and sediments at well pads, waste-water treatment and disposal facilities and landfill leachate, among others. The study also will test radiation levels for the equipment involved in the transportation, storage and disposal of drilling wastes.
All of this is a positive step for the state, especially as drilling sites continue to sprout up across the region. Of course, it remains a shame that the state DEP had to be drug — kicking and screaming — to this realization that it’s important to test for radiation.
Gov. Tom Corbett announced these new testing requirements earlier this year, which just happened to coincide with a series of questions from Shalereporter.com regarding radioactivity in fracking waste water, regulation of the waste water transport and the potential health effects of exposure to fracking waste water.
Those issues were covered in the series, “Under the Radar,” which was published beginning Jan. 25. Shalereporter.com is owned by Calkins Media, which also owns the Greene County Messenger and the 蘑菇视频.
This new testing marks quite the turnaround for the DEP, which had consistently denied radiation in fracking waste was even an issue. The agency told Shalereporter.com in past interviews that it did not measure radium concentrations or activities in brine, did not believe the potentially radioactive water was making its way into waterways and that it was the sole entity in charge of the “handling, transport, disposal, storage and recycling of brine,” despite the fact that it did not measure the brine for elevated levels of radiation.
The regulatory agency also previously said it was “not aware of any evidence to suggest flow back contains dangerous amounts of radiation,” despite several reports to the contrary by environmental groups and one by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Despite plans to study the issue, the DEP maintains that radiation in relation to natural gas drilling does not pose a health risk.
“Based on current data, regulations and industry practices, there is no indication that the public or workers in the oil and gas industry face health risks from exposure to radiation from these materials,” the DEP release said. “The study is aimed at ensuring that public health and the environment continue to be protected.”
Ensuring that remains the case is not a matter of simple wishful thinking, which is why we are pleased to see the state DEP taking action to test for radioactivity. We would likely feel better if they were behind the idea all along, but we suppose it’s better late than never.