Abstract
Purpose: To determine the extent to which the silica levels are above the safety levels outlined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in areas proximal to the natural gas development sites.
Background: While studies have shown that the silica levels in the hydraulic fracturing sites are very high, there is paucity of information as to how far away from the sites the silica levels in the air are dangerously high.
Methods: The study will employ a longitudinal design with the data being collected over a ten-year period. The samples will be collected in a linear direction. The samples will be collected after an interval of half a mile on the radius with the natural gas well as the central position. The samples will be drawn from four points at every half a mile radius in the four directions of the compass.
Introduction and Literature Review
The patterns in energy production and use in the recent past have been characterized by the use of renewable sources, increase energy conservation and efficiency, and the exploration of new sources of energy. This is to ensure the sustainability of energy in the midst of increased demand due to increased development activities. The exploration of natural gas has been seen as the much-needed reprieve because the shale reserves remain largely unexploited. The use of new technologies, such as fracking, has enabled the extraction of the natural gas that is trapped beneath the earth’s surface. However, this new technology is associated with adverse and negative health effects on human beings and the environment. While numerous researchers have published literature detailing these negative effects, there are gaps in information that impede the full understanding of the effects of hydraulic fracturing on human lives and the environment.
Kenneth (2014) highlights the risk of silicosis as one of the negative effects associated with hydraulic fracturing. The scholar finds that proximity to the natural gas development sites, especially where hydraulic fracturing is used as the main exploration method. The analysis of air samples from these sites showed that the silica levels in the air exceeded the levels that are outlined in the current Occupational Safety Health Administration. Continued analysis of the air samples showed that the concentration of silica levels in the air was not uniform. Kenneth (2014) found that the highest concentration was around the T-belt, meaning that the workers around this area were exposed to the highest concentrations of silica. The exposure to silica is associated with conditions such as tuberculosis, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, end-stage renal disease and the connective tissue disease.
The missing information from the study by Kenneth (2014) was the radius from the natural gas development site to which the silica levels in the air exceeded the safety levels outlined in the current Occupational Safety Health Administration. This is significant because it affects decisions on the habitation in areas close to natural gas development sites. The study by McKenzie et al., (2014) does not sufficiently address the gap in information. The scholars attempted to determine the correlation between the proximity of the residence of pregnant women to the sites where hydraulic fracturing was used in the development of natural gas and the birth outcomes.
This study was done retrospectively and considered a ten-mile radius from the drilling sites where hydraulic fracturing was used to exploit natural gas. Their findings showed that an increase in exposure strongly and positively correlated with an increase in the prevalence of congenital heart defects. The researchers concluded that an increase in the density of the wells where hydraulic fracturing is used in a ten-mile radius and the proximity of the mothers to these sites resulted in an increase in poor birth outcomes. While this information is useful, it is still indeterminate with regards to the radius from the sites where the levels of the contaminants that predict these negative health outcomes are below the safety levels. The study does not also determine whether the inhabitants past the ten-mile radius are still at risk of contaminants from the development of natural gas. It is for this reason that Werner, Vink, Watt & Jagals (2015) recommend further research to fill these gaps.
Srebotnjak & Rotkin-Ellman (2014) reported the results of the analysis from samples taken from air samples taken from personal breathing zones from 11 sites where hydraulic fracturing is done in five states. The full-shift samples taken from each of the eleven sites showed that the silica levels exceeded the levels established by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Heath by ten times and at times even more. This study still did not include the variation in silica level from the sites. These gaps in information are consistent in the studies discussed in this section.
Proposed Research Methods for Larger Study
The Proposed Study
What are the silica levels in air samples taken at different intervals in decreasing proximity from natural gas wells where hydraulic fracturing is used to exploit the gas?
How do the silica levels in the air samples taken at different intervals in decreasing proximity from natural gas wells where hydraulic fracturing is used to exploit the gas compared to the safety levels outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Administration?
Research Design
One of the impediments to the accuracy of the data relating to the effects of silica among the other components used in hydraulic fracturing on human and environmental health is the length of the latency period before the manifestations of the adverse health effects. This study will not use a cross-sectional design because there is interest determining the variation in the silica levels in the sampled intervals over a period. To satisfy this need, the study will use a longitudinal design where the samples will be taken and analyzed continually over a period of ten years. However, periodic analysis of the silica levels will be done, and the results reported. This will enable the determination of changes in trends and also provide a baseline that can allow the comparison or the determination of the correlation between the silica levels and the prevalence of other adverse health outcomes in the locality over the same period.
Sampling and Sample Size
The samples will be collected in a linear direction. This implies that the samples will be collected from the site of the natural gas wells where hydraulic fracturing is used as the method of exploitation. The samples will be collected after an interval of half a mile on the radius with the natural gas well as the central position. The samples will be drawn from four points at every half a mile radius. The first batch of samples will be drawn in the northern direction. The other three samples will be drawn from the east, west and south of the natural gas well.
The choice in sampling is to enable the determination of the effect of the wind on the concentration of silica levels and also the distance from the natural gas well where the silica levels drop below safe levels as per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Given that baseline data is required for benchmarking purposes for future studies, the distance from the natural gas well will initially be set at twenty miles. However, the figure is subject to change after the pilot study is performed to find the preliminary variations in the concentration of silica levels in the air with reducing proximity to the natural gas well.
The samples will be analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The qualitative analysis of the samples will be done using gas chromatography. The aim of this analysis is to identify the components in the air sample. Expectedly, the process will confirm the presence of silica in the air sample. The quantitative analysis will be done to determine the concentration of the silica levels in the air sample. Using an extrapolation graph, the researcher will then determine the concentration of the silica in the place where the sample was taken.
Justification of the Study
One of the issues that Werner et al., (2015) highlighted in his evaluation of the strength of evidence on the effects of hydraulic fracturing was the lack of baseline evidence in the numerous studies that were published. For instance, the study by Kenneth (2014) would have benefited from the comparison of his findings with some baseline data. However, the absence of baseline data means that the findings from the study can only be descriptive and analytical. The only comparative element in the findings would be when comparing the silica levels in the drilling sites with the safety levels that are outlined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This is not sufficient when it comes to fully understanding the effects that hydraulic fracturing has on human and environmental health. This study helps alleviate the paucity of baseline data.
The other aspect that characterized the critiques on the strength of the existing data from published studies that Werner et al., (2015) explored was that most of the data collected used cross-sectional designs. This means that the data was collected at one point in time only. The challenge with this kind of data is that the manifestations of the negative effects of hydraulic fracturing on human health have a long potency period. It is necessary that longitudinal studies are conducted to correct data and map the trends over long periods so that there is baseline data against which any occurrences of adverse and negative effects can be analyzed for correlation. This will enable a clear understanding of how the various components used in hydraulic fracturing affect human health. This study also helps in this perspective.
Conclusion
The continued development and increase in the human population means that more energy is required because of increased demand. The dwindling nature of the non-renewable energy sources has prompted the exploration of other sources of energy. As discussed above, the development of natural gas has been lauded a much-needed reprieve and a potential solution for the increasing energy demands. However, the method of exploration used has been associated with the occurrence of adverse health effects on both human beings and the environment. The review of the literature showed various published studies that outline the various effects on human health caused by different components used in hydraulic fracturing. However, these studies have left numerous gaps in information that affect the understanding of the effects of hydraulic fracturing on human and environmental health.
The main interest in the paper is the study of the risk of silicosis as a result of hydraulic fracturing. Published studies have shown that there are increased levels of silica in the air samples drawn from the hydraulic fracturing sites. However, there is missing information regarding the radius of the natural gas development site where the high silica levels are still experienced. The proposed study uses a longitudinal study design to gather this information over ten years. This will also enable the creation of a baseline that can be used in future comparative studies.
References
Kenneth, R. (2014). Hydraulic fracturing and the risk of silicosis. Clinical Pulmonary Medicine, 21(4): 167-172.
McKenzie, L., Guo, R., Witter, R., Savitz, D., Newman, L., and Adgate, J. (2014). Birth Outcomes and Maternal Residential Proximity to Natural Gas Development in Rural Colorado. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(4): DOI:10.1289/ehp.1306722
Srebotnjak, T. and Rotkin-Ellman, M. (2014). Fracking Fumes: Air Pollution from Hydraulic Fracturing Threatens Public Health and Communities. NRDC Issue BRIEF. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/fracking-air-pollution-IB.pdf
Werner, A., Vink, S., Watt, K., and Jagals, P. (2015). Environmental health impacts of unconventional natural gas development: A review of the current strength of evidence. Science of the Total Environment, 505: 1127-1141.
