The gel was vacuumed up from the well that was being drilled. The "gel" is pushed under pressure to break up rocks in horizontal drilling. DEP would need to know at what depth the well was at when the spill occurred, as if it was below the water table then the risk of contamination is quite low.

It also appears the gel is organic in chemical structure, since it's a polycarbon chain.

Then again, hydrogen cyanide is also an organic molecule but it's deadly because it interrupts the Electron Transport Chain in cellular mitochondria to produce energy.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Drilling_gas_gel_spills_at_well_09-18-20...

Folks in Wyoming complaining about tainted wells.

A really good Newsweek article. Gotta love it when a company can't discuss what compounds they might be pumping into the earth forever at extremely high pressures because its "proprietary" and a trade secret.

In different geological conditions and depending on whether they are going for oil or gas, they pump down different mixes to pump out what they are mining for - but remember this year's state budget eliminated proposed taxes on Marcellus Shale exploration that could have help pay for better supervision of what Gas companies pump into the ground, to better study the environmental results of the process (which are still hotly debated) and to pay for clean ups when they screw up and just dump the crap on the surface accidentally, like in Brady's story.

Remember if you are in the Natural Gas business your interest is in pumping down whatever will bring out the gas faster and cheaper. You will assume it will never leak into the water table because profit motive will guide you to favor science that leans in that direction, ignore research that does not. Think about research from the tobacco industry. And if the process does leach toxins into nearby wells and aquifers but does it very slowly you really don't care because you will be gone or dead and buried before it does so those effected won't be able to sue you anyway.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.

and we would use all kinds of weird substances. They were gels, mushes and slimes that we used to refer to as "whale snot" and "skeeze." Most of the drilling fluids were based on natural substances since they had to be pumped into the ground. They all had some really fun and strange properties but were generally safe as we used them everyday underground or in highly sensitive environments like Greens Creek Mine on Admiralty Island http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/admiralty/ .

Sometimes it is. On the other hand that does not really square with the exerience of th epeople in the Newsweek story.

An employee at an energy-services company, Weatherford International, Marshall, according to Behr, said that he was caught in a "fracturing-fluid" spill. [Fracturing chemicals are routinely used on oil and gas wells where they are pumped deep into the ground to crack rock seams and increase production.] The chemical stench coming off Marshall's boots was buckling, says Behr. Mercy officials took no chances. They evacuated and locked down the ER, and its staff was instructed to don protective masks and gowns. But by the time those precautions were enacted, Behr had been nursing Marshall for 10 minutes--unprotected. "I honestly thought the response was a little overkill, but good practice," says Behr, 54, a 20-year veteran at Mercy.

A few days later, Behr's skin turned yellow. She began vomiting and retaining fluid. Her husband rushed her to Mercy where Behr was admitted to the ICU with a swollen liver, erratic blood counts and lungs filling with fluid. "I couldn't breath," she recalls. "I was drowning from the inside out." The diagnosis: chemical poisoning. The makers of the suspected chemical, Weatherford, tell NEWSWEEK that they aren't sure if their brand of fracking fluid can be blamed for her illness.

Also in terms the impact on wells and aquifers, its not just the gels that get pumped down. The whole point is to use the pressure to widen cracks underground to free up pckets of natural gas. Its possible the folks compaining about sudden increases in heavy metals and in their well water are experiencing it from naturally occurring mineral concentrations that have been disturbed by the fracturing in the rock. If a totally benign mix of silica sand and water is used in "fracking" but it suddenly causes levels of arsenic and other naturally occurring heavy metals to increase to unsafe levels in your well, you still can't drink the water, no matter how safe the "fracking" solution was. Again the people paying for most of the very preliminary research have a pretty strong interest in one type of finding, that its harmless with no lasting effects but in Colorado and Wyoming people are telling different kinds of stories.

Its reasonable to ask mining companies to pay a small fee to support better studies, better oversight, clean-ups if necessary. Most states other than PA do. A huge chunk of the cost of Alaska state government, as Sarah Palin will gladly tell you, is paid for by exploration fees. Miners go where the gas is, they don't decide on where to explore based on nominal exploration fees.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.

They're doing what sounds like (at least from Part 1 this morning) a three-part infomercial for natural gas. I will hold off on a more scathing critique until I hear parts 2 and 3.

Thought this article was interesting and definitely pertinent to the situation in rural PA.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gXGf4D9H5QU5Kt9h1HAQog...

Also, anyone interested in closely following environmental health news should subscribe to:

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/

Though Halliburton tries to keep its name out of the headlines, the PA DEP fights back, despite budget cuts. Sharing some good news with us here.

After a third chemical spill in a week at the Marcellus Shale gas drilling going on in Dimock, PA, the PA Department of Environmental Protection called a halt to it. The chemical spilled is a hydraulic gel used in fracturing and is manufactured by Halliburton. This gel bears a neurotoxin that affects humans and fish. Some nearby residents' water supply have already been affected by the mining there: they turn on the water faucet, and methane comes out. Score one for the PA DEP. Stay tuned.

http://www.propublica.org/feature/pennsylvania-orders-cabot-to-stop-frac...

Pennsylvania Orders Cabot Oil and Gas to Stop Fracturing in Troubled County
by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica - September 25, 2009 12:39 pm EDT

After three chemical spills [1] in the past nine days, and following a history of environmental problems over the last year [2], Pennsylvania officials have ordered Cabot Oil and Gas, one of the most active natural gas companies in the state, to stop its hydraulic fracturing operations in Susquehanna County pending an intensive review.

"The department took this action because of our concern about Cabot's current fracking process [3] and to ensure that the environment in Susquehanna County is properly protected," DEP north central regional Director Robert Yowell said in a news release distributed this morning.

The stop-work order, which was accompanied by new citations issued for the third spill, will interrupt development of seven new wells that Cabot is currently drilling, and intending to fracture, in Susquehanna County. The citations were similar to those levied earlier in the week, including a failure to contain fracturing fluids.
[Click the link for the rest of this article and its footnotes, citing earlier report about this drilling and its effects.]

-BleuZ00m

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.. - John Lennon
Through the process of amendment, interpretation and court decision I have finally been included in "We, the people.” -Barbara C. Jordan
By thy works and words, thee shows thy faith - A Quaker Advice

http://wvgazette.com/News/Business/200909251047

Politics as usual...

At a time when tapping and taxing Pennsylvania's natural-gas reserves is increasingly controversial, a top Rendell administration aide who dealt with those issues is resigning to take a job with a leading gas driller.

From today's Inquirer:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/news_breaking/20091007_Top_Rende...