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Air Pollution and Human Health Issues Airborne problems related to frac sand mining are numerous and severe. The potential for harmful, or even deadly, exposure is great, and may extend for many miles beyond the location where the mining operation takes place. According to the website of Friends of Mill and Piney Creeks (Arkansas), "Crystalline silica is a basic component of soil, sand, granite, and many other minerals. Silica laden material can break down into particles small enough to inhale when workers chip, cut, drill, or grind it. This is exactly what happens during frac sand mining." This problem also extends to workers on a frac site where the sand is being used as a proppant when mixed with water and frac chemicals for injection into a well bore. In cases where the drilling site is adjacent to residential property this risks exposure of entire neighborhoods, especially those immediately downwind of the drilling site.
According to a disclaimer from FlexFrac Proppant Sand Suppliers in Richardson, Texas, its products "contain respirable crystalline silica, which is considered by some sources to be a cause of cancer and can lead to death. Failure to adhere to our warnings, MSDS and handling instructions may lead to serious personal injury or death." This fine particulate material can be carried by winds more than 20 miles from the site of the mining operation, and injuring or killing people far removed from the mining area. Obviously, workers at a frac sand mining site are the most prone to hazardous exposure, but they are hardly the only ones at risk. Nearby residents, pets, livestock and wildlife also are at risk of harmful exposure. In addition to the risk to people from airborne contaminants carried by the wind, there is also the issue of exposure caused by transportation of frac sand by truck or rail hundreds of miles away from a mining operation. Unfortunately, few would ever have a clue from where their exposure came, or who was responsible for it. Crystalline silica has been classified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the EPA and CDC as a human lung carcinogen (see links:) Additionally, breathing crystalline silica dust can cause silicosis, which in severe cases can be disabling or even fatal. There is no known cure for silicosis. Exposure to the fine particulate frac sand, especially the angular type like is found in Texas and surrounding states, is reason for serious concern. Angular crystalline silica has sharp edges that can burrow into tissue, especially lung tissue, and remain there permanently. Considering the enormous risks to human and animal health and the potential for deadly silicosis caused by exposure to crystalline silica dust, should we not be very concerned about the risk of accidental exposure caused by working at a frac sand mining operation, living near such and operation, or even being near a rail line or truck route where silica sand is carried for use in hydraulic fracturing operations? The short answer is, "YES! We should be VERY concerned!" Air pollution and human health risks are just one more reason to oppose this "clean energy" alternative to dirty coal and other fossil fuel sources. Next: Land Destruction from Frac Sand Mining Operations
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Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers |
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