Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal July 27. “Feds and States Not TAKING Radioactivity from Fracking Seriously, Environmental Group Says.” Ohio Capital Journal, 26 July 2021, ohiocapitaljournal.com/2021/07/27/feds-and-states-not-taking-radioactivity-from-fracking-seriously-environmental-group-says/.
In West Virginia, Eastern Ohio, and Western Pennsylvania federal and state officials are doing little to protect residents from the radiation that comes from fracking. The NRDC reported that federal and state regulations have taken a pass on protecting their citizens against the dangerous chemicals that can get into their drinking water. Fracking can bring radioactive toxins to the surface where they get in wastewater. It can also produce toxic air, as reported by Climate News in 2014. Uranium was found 100 times the EPA’s health standard. In a study on how much radioactivity was in the wastewater, it was found that radium 226-228 was 300 times the average radioactivity.
I find it really scary how federal and state officials aren’t taking any precautions to help keep their citizens safe from radiation. It shows what politicians really care about and it’s not the people. This article explains how we have to be careful about our water and that we have to take care of it or we won’t have any water that isn’t harmful to us and the environment. The lack of effort to protect people who live in those areas is worrisome because who knows what they could be being exposed to without their knowledge. I wonder how the new administration will handle these environmental issues and get rid of the radiation from the water. It seems we have to make a decision between clean fossil fuels or clean health and we don’t get to make that decision. I wonder why more people aren’t aware that their water has toxins that could seriously harm their health.
I agree that the lack of response from the government and its overall absence of precautions taken to limit radiation exposure on residents is really disheartening. The government should take measures to be more transparent about how the environment around us impacts our health on a daily basis. It is unconscionable for the people in charge of protecting us/our country to try and sweep these issues under the rug. Should there be repercussions for those who failed to take the necessary precautions to protect the health of residents from the radiation? If so, what could they potentially be?
Hi almarti, thanks for replying! I think there should be repercussions for those who don’t take the right steps to protect our health. I think they should be either large fines or even being shut down.