EXPOSURE AND TOXICITY OF CHEMICALS RESULTING FROM NATURAL GAS EXTRACTION AND HYDRAULIC FRACTURINGDebra A. Kaden, Boston, MA; Angela Harris, Little Rock, AR; John Imse, Denver, CO; Mark Travers, Chicago, IL; Rosalind Schoof, Seattle, OR
www.environcorp.com
INTRODUCTIONWhat is hydraulic fracturing?
• Establishedtechnology,butmorewidelyusedwithadvancesindrillingtechnology(horizontaldrilling)
° Overpast6-8years,usehasexpandedgreatly
° Opensupproductivityofunconventionaloilandgas resources
Why the controversy?
• Expansioninthepublicawarenessregardingthoseresourcesandanintensifiedregulatoryscrutinyofdevelopment
• Unconventionalresourcesinareaswhereoilandgasproductionhasnotbeenseenonthisscaleformanyyears
° Example:MarcellusShaleinPennsylvania,NewYork, andOhio.
• Overallincreasedawarenessofenvironmentalissuesinsociety
• Vastarrayofreadilyavailableandaccessibleinformationresources
WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL EXPOSURE PATHWAYS?
Inhalation
• Exploratorydrilling
• Methanefugitiveemissions
• Vaporintrusion
• Airtoxicemission
• Hydrogensulfide
• Particulates
Sources
• Air
° ExplorationDrilling
— Relativelyshorttermfromexposureperspective
° DevelopmentandProduction
— Longerterm
— Leaksandventing(methane)
° Supportactivities
— Truckandengineexhaust
— Fugitivedust
• Water
° Surfacewater
° Groundwater
° Wastewater
— Volatilizationfrompitsorimpoundments
Ingestion
• Methane
• NaturallyOccurringRadioactiveMaterial(NORM)
• Salts(brine)
• Variouschemicalsfrominjectedfluids
Sources
• Wellconstructionfailure–casingandcementintegrity
• Directcontactwithanddisposalofwastewater
• Possiblehydraulicconnectionsbetweendeepandshallowaquifers
• Hydraulicconnectionscreatedbyhistoricaldrillinginregionsbeingdeveloped
• Wastewaterrelease
Abstract # 2112
CHEMICALS ASSOCIATED WITH HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Pollutant Emissions (tpy) Health concerns
VOCsEthaneIsopentanePropaneIsobutaneN-ButaneEthyleneN-PentaneMethane
2.2million VOCsreactintheairtoformozoneandPM2.5.
Ozone(regulatedasacriteriapollutant)cancauseasthmaattacks,hospitalandemergencydepartmentvisits,schoollossdays,andprematuremortality
PM2.5(regulatedasacriteriapollutant)cancauseprematuremortalityforadultsandinfants,heartattacksandhospitaladmissions.Alsocancauseasthmaattacks,acuteandchronicbronchitis,hospitalandemergencyroomvisits,worklossdays,restrictedactivitydays,andrespiratorysymptoms.
Air ToxicsAcetaldeydeBenzeneTolueneEthylbenzeneXylenes1,3-Butadiene
130,000 Includingbenzene,others.
Cancausecancerandotherserious,irreversiblehealtheffects.
RegulatedthroughtheCleanAirAct.
GHGMethane
16million(300,000MMTCO2e)
Reactsintheairtoformozone(seeabove).
ApotentGHG.Onceemittedintotheatmosphere,itabsorbsterrestrialinfraredradiation,whichcontributestoincreasedglobalwarmingandcontinuingclimatechange.
Adapted From: EPA(July2011)Overviewofproposednewregulations
Study What was measured What was found
TCEQDec2009Duetocomplaintofodor
•Upto84VOCsover3days•Fixedandmobilemonitors
•Allbut1foundnon-detectableorbelowshort-termAMVCs•p-Diethylbenzenemeasuredabovetheodor-basedAMCVat1location,butnotabovethehealth-basedAMCV
TCEQNov2010 •18carbonyls•Downwindofpossiblesources
•Allnon-detectsorbelowshort-termAMCVs•Formaldehydeconcentrations1-.0–5.4ppbv.•Note,limitofdetectionofisovaldehydeaboveAMCV,butcharacteristicodornotdetected.
CityofFortWorthSept/Oct2010(ERGreportJuly2011)
•~140pollutants(>40HAPs)measuredat8locations
•Highestconcentrations:Methane,ethane,propane,butane.•Somepollutantswithgreatertoxicity(e.g.,benzene)alsofound,butatmuchlowerconcentrations.•High-levelactivityareasitehadgenerallyhigherconcentrationsthanothersites.•2Mediumactivitysites(within350ftofactivewellpads)“surprisinglylow“relativetotheothersites.”
Zielinskaetal2010 •Non-methanevolatileorganiccompounds(NMVOC)examinedneargaswellsources
>90%ethane,propane,n-butane,iso-butane,iso-pentane,andn-pentane
~10%ofVOCweremostlyC6-C8n-alkanes,branched-andcyclo-alkanes.
~0.1–0.2%benzene,toluene,andxylenes(partofBTEX)
4-weekaverageindividualVOCconcentrationswerelow,generally<1ppbComparableorslightlyhigherthanTCEQsites(sametimeperiod)MonitoringatanearbyresidentialcommunityfoundaveragespeciatedVOCconcentrationsgenerally<1ppb.
UniversityofColoradoAirToxicsStudy(2007-2008)CollaborationbetweenBCPH,UColorado,EPARegion8
•MeasuredVOC,carbonyls,ozone•Sourceapportionmenttotiebacktosources
FromPCAresults,mobilesourceexhaust,naturalgascondensateemissions,andmeteorologyaresignificantpollutionsource
GarfieldCounty2008MonitoringCODepartmentofPublicHealth&EnvironmentwithreviewbyATSDR
•4Locationswithin1.5milesofoil&gasdevelopmentactivities:
°2urban,nearI70°2rural,closetooil&gasactivities•Measured90speciatedNMVOCs
(1,3-Butadiene,Benzene,Ethylbenzene,Toluene,1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene,1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene,others)
every6days•Measuredcarbonyls(acetaldehyde,
formaldehyde,crotonaldehyde,others)every12days
•Usedconservativeassumptions(95%upperconfidencelevelofmeanvaluesforchronic/maximumvaluesforacute;assumes24/7,30years)•CancerriskfoundwithinEPAacceptablerange•Noncancerrisk(acuteorchronic)belowhealth-basedguidelines•Cautions:Measurementsonlyonceevery6(or12)days;Measurementsatsinglestationforeachlocation;Reflectemissionsfromothersourcestoo;Riskestimatesuseconservative,regulatoryvalues
AIR ExPOSURE DATA
CONCLUSIONSAir
Whilemanyofthechemicalsassociatedwithfrackingaretoxic(atsomeconcentration)….
• Benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene,xylene(BTEX),otherVOC
° StationaryandtruckDieselengines,flaring,venting, producedwaterstorage,dehydrationofnaturalgas
• Methane
° Greenhousegas(GHG)From: Zielinskaetal2010
1st 2nd 3rd
Boulder MobileSource SecondaryFormation Evaporative
Longmont Evaporative SecondaryFormation MobileSource
Lyons SecondaryFormation Evaporative MobileSource
Niwot Ridge SecondaryFormation MobileSource Evaporative
South Boulder MobileSource Evaporative SecondaryFormation
POTENTIAL POLLUTION SOURCE RANk BY SITE
From: UniversityofColoradoAirToxicsStudy(2007-2008)
Pavillion, WY
• USEPAresponsetocomplaintsfromdomesticwellownersaboutobjectionableodorsandtastesfromwellwater.
• FourphasesofinvestigationconductedMarch2009–April2011.
• Sampledresidentialwells,municipalwells,stockwellsandmonitoringwells
Garfield County, CO
• GarfieldCountyBoardofCountyCommissioners
• Evaluatesurfaceandgroundwatervulnerabilityneargaswelldevelopmentsandotherhumanactivities
• Fourphasesofinvestigation
• BaselinegroundwaterstudieshavealsobeenconductedinColorado
LeRoy Township, PA
• Investigationconductedin2011toevaluatepotentialeffectsofawellheadvalvereleaseonawellpadtonearbyresidentialwells
• Somebaselinedataavailableforcomparison
SUMMARY OF GROUNDWATER STUDIES
Analyte(mg/L)
Pavillion Garfield County Leroy Township
Deep (Monitoring
Wells)
Shallow(Residential
Wells)Baseline Studies Groundwater Baseline Residential
Well1
BTEx
Benzene ND-256 ND–0.54 ND ND–1.0
NRToluene ND-617 ND–0.71 ND ND–14.0
Ethylbenzene ND-67 ND ND ND–1.0
xylenes ND-750 ND ND ND–1.5
Napthalenes ND–6.1 ND–0.39 NR NA NR
Isopropanol 212-581 ND NA NA
Arsenic 3.6–41.8 ND-.089 4.82 4.12 ND–1.8
Uranium NA NA NR 1.5-47 ND-.023
1Aftervalvereleaseatwellpad 2Meanvalue 3Unknownmethaneorigin:ND(notdetected) NA(notanalyzed) NR(notreported)
Analyte(mg/L)
Pavillion Garfield County Leroy Township
Deep (Monitoring
Wells)
Shallow(Residential
Wells)Baseline Studies Groundwater Baseline Residential
Well1
pH 11.2–12.0 6.9–10.0 7.82 7.42 8.42 7.3–8.6
Methane 16.0–19.0 ND-.808 ND–36.73 ND-11 0.76 .76-12
Anions
Cl 23.1-466 0.6–80.3 147.52 1.0-2300 116 1750
k 24.7–54.9 0.3–11.4 3.02 0.4–14.2 1.78 0.38-6.7
TPH
DRO 0.63–4.0 ND-.10 NA NA
NR NR
GRO 0.39–3.7 ND–0.48 NA NA
• Hydrogensulfide
° Occursinformationswithlotsofpyrite,liketheMarcellus
° Others:formaldehyde,dieselexhaust,1,4-dioxane, hydrochloricacid,methanol
Airexposuresfoundtobeminimal
• Oftennotdetectable
• Belowhealth-basedbenchmarks
• Dissipateasyoumoveawayfromthesite
• OthersourcesofsameVOC
Odordetectionisnotnecessarilytoxic
REGULATORY ACTIVITIES Currently,regulationofindustrylargelytheresponsibilityofstates,sometimesregionalcommissions
• Regulationsvaryfromstate-to-state
° Directregulation(AirPollutionControlAct)
° Indirectregulationviapermitting
• Typesofregulation
° Generalpermitting
° Project-specificreview
° Notification/registrationrequirements
° Commonlaw–“reasonableuse”
• Severalstatesconsideringmoratoriumsonhydraulicfracturing
° NewYorkhastemporarymoratoriuminplace
° Vermontconsideringathree-yearmoratorium
° OhiohasproposedmoratoriumonhorizontalstimulationuntilUSEPA waterstudycomplete
° Michiganhasproposedtwo-yearmoratoriumonnewpermitsuntil USEPAwaterstudycomplete
° USEPAassuredstatesitwillnotissueamoratoriumonhydraulic fracturing
• Existingorpossiblenewstateandlocalregulationsandpracticescanservetomanagegroundwaterimpacts
° Regulationsforconstruction,maintenanceandclosureofbothgaswells andwaterwells
° Baselineandongoinggroundwaterwellwaterqualitymonitoring
° Publicdisclosureofchemicalsused
Increased Federal Activities in Recent Years
• USEPA:NewrulesunderCleanAirActexpectedbyApril3,2012
° Includesreviewoffourrulesfortheoilandnaturalgasindustry
° NewsourceperformancestandardforVOCs
° Newsourceperformancestandardforsulfurdioxide
° Airtoxicsstandardforoilandnaturalgasproduction
° Airtoxicsstandardfornaturalgastransmissionandstorage
• Includesrequirementtocapture95%ofVOCemissions
° Largelythroughcapturingnaturalgasthatcurrentlyescapesintothe air,makingthatgasavailableforsale
° Willalsoreduceemissionsofmethaneandairtoxics
Aggregation of Air Emissions
• Severalpendinglitigationactionsaddressaggregation
° Processofdeterminingwhetheremissionsfrommultipleoperations shouldbecombined,oraggregated,intoasinglesourceforair permittingpurposes
• Ifemissionsfromindividualoperationsarecombined,theycouldconstitute“majorstationarysource”or“majorfacility”forpurposesofthePreventionofSignificantDeterioration,NewSourceReviewandTitleVpermittingprogramsundertheCleanAirAct
• Definitionof“adjacent”likelytobeapplieddifferentlyinsomeofthelitigationcases
° CleanAirCouncilv.DEP(EHBDocketNo2011-072-R),pending beforePennsylvania’sEnvironmentalHearingBoard(USEPARegion3)
° CitizensfortheFutureofPennsylvaniav.UltraResources,4:11-cv- 01360-JEJ,pendingintheUSDistrictCourtfortheMiddleDistrictof Pennsylvania(USEPARegion3)
° SummitPetroleumCorporationv.EPA(CaseNo.09-4348)pending beforethefederalSixthCircuitCourtofAppeals(EPARegion5).
° Others
• IfdifferentinterpretationsacrossdifferentUSEPAregions,likelyUSEPAwillattempttoresolveconflicting
Congressionalbills
• HR1204:BringingReductionstoEnergy’sAirborneToxicHealthEffectsAct(“BREATHE”Act)
° EliminatesNESHAPexemptiontohaveaggregatedwellsviewedas “majorsources”tousebestavailablecontroltechnology
° SponsoredbyRepJaredPolis(D-Colorado2ndDistrict)
° Status:Billinthefirststepinthelegislativeprocess.
Federal Water Regulations
StudyonImpactofHydraulicFracturingonDrinkingWaterResources(USEPA)
• Initialstudyresultsdueendof2012;additionalreportbasedonlong-termstudyprojectsin2014.
• Researchersexaminingimpactsof:
° largevolumewaterwithdrawalsfromground-andsurfacewaters
° surfacespillsresultingfromhydraulicfracturingfluids
° injectionandfracturingprocess
° surfacespillsofflowbackandproducedwastewatertreatmentand wastedisposal
• Resultslikelytodriveregulatoryandpolicychanges—couldhavesignificantimpactontheshalegasindustry
DevelopmentofHydraulicFracturingWastewaterStandards(USEPA)
• NationalstandardsforwastewaterdischargesviaCleanWaterAct(CWA)effluentguidelinesprogram
• Basedonbestavailabletechnologiesthatareeconomicallyachievable
• Prohibiton-sitedirectdischargeofwastewaterfromshalegasextractionintoUSwaters
• Currently,disposalofwastewaterregulatedbythestates.Insomestates,wastewaterinjectedintodeepundergroundshafts;inothers,wastewatersenttosewagetreatmentplants
• USEPAgatheringdata,consultingwithstakeholders,solicitingpubliccommentonproposedruleforwastewaterdischarges
° Proposedruleforcoalbedmethanein2012
° Proposedruleforshalegasin2014
PermittingGuidanceonUndergroundInjectionControlforFacilitiesthatUseDieselFuelsinInjectionFluids(USEPA)
• SafeDrinkingWaterAct’s(SDWA)UndergroundInjectionControl(UIC)programhasrequirementsforproperwellsiting,construction,operationtominimizeriskstoundergroundsourcesofdrinkingwater
• EnergyPolicyActof2005excludedhydraulicfracturingforoilandgasproductionfrompermittingbutexclusiondidnotincludefracturingusingdieselfuel
• USEPAdevelopingpermittingguidancewithabroaddefinitionofdieselfuel(e.g.,physicalandchemicalcharacteristicsofdieselsuchasBTEX)
RulemakingontheDisclosureofChemicalsUsedinHydraulicFracturing(USEPA)
• EPAstartingrulemakingprocessunderToxicSubstanceControlAct(TSCA)torequiredisclosureofinformationonthechemicalsusedinhydraulicfracturing.
° InaresponsetoapetitionfiledbyEarthjusticeand120other organizations
° Willlimitdisclosuretosubstancesusedinhydraulicfracturing
° Willattempttoavoidduplicationof“thewell-by-welldisclosure programsalreadybeingimplementedinseveralstates,”andwill “focusonprovidingaggregatepicturesofthechemicalsubstances andmixturesusedinhydraulicfracturing”
° Advancednoticeofproposedrulemakingexpectedin2012
ProposedRegulationsRelatedtoHydraulicFracturingonPublicLands(USDepartmentoftheInterior)
• Draftingregulationforshalegasproductiononpubliclands
• Inadditiontochemicaldisclosureprovisions,therulesareexpectedtoaddresswellboreintegrityfollowinghydraulicfracturingandthemanagementofwastewater
Other Regulatory or Industry Activities
DOEShaleGasSubcommittee:Recommendationsforimmediateimplementation
• Federalagencies
° Measurestoreduceemissionsofairpollutants,ozoneprecursorsand methaneasquicklyaspracticable(USEPA)
° Interagencyplanningefforttoacquiredataandanalyzetheoverall greenhousegasfootprintofnaturalgasuse
• States
° Encourageshale-gasproductioncompaniesandregulatorstoexpand immediatelyeffortstoreduceairemissionsusingproventechnologies andpractices.Federalfundingat$5m/yforstateregulators/NGOs/ industrywillencourageplanning
• Industry
° Enlistingasubsetofproducersindifferentbasinstodesignandfielda systemtocollectairemissionsdata
WATER ExPOSURE DATA
Water
Baselinestudiesareintegraltointerpretingdatafromgroundwaterstudiesassociatedwithnearbyhydraulicfracturingactivities.
Thedataandconclusionsfromonegroundwaterstudyarenotgenerallyapplicabletopotentialimpactsinanotherregion.
• Differencesinunderlyinghydrogeology
• Variabilityinstratographyofresidentialwells
• Potentialfordomestic/agricultural/municipalimpactstogroundwatervarybyregion
Precautionary Principleoften cited…
• Donoharm
• Provescientificallythatwhatyouaredoingisnotharmful
...buttodatethefactsdonotsupporthealthrisks
• Still,needtomoveforwardcautiouslywithairandwater
monitoringtomakesure...
KadenPosterV4final.indd 1 3/8/12 9:19:17 AM
