Vet Behavior Consults, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Environ Sci Process Impacts. 2019 Jun 19;21(6):988-998. doi: 10.1039/c9em00112c.
The contamination of surface water and ground water by human activities, such as fossil fuel extraction and agriculture, can be difficult to assess due to incomplete knowledge of the chemicals and chemistry involved. This is particularly true for the potential contamination of drinking water by nearby extraction of oil and/or gas from wells completed by hydraulic fracturing. A case that has attracted considerable attention is unconventional natural gas extraction in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, particularly around Dimock, Pennsylvania. We analyzed surface water and groundwater samples collected throughout Susquehanna County with complementary biological assays and high-resolution mass spectrometry. We found that Ah receptor activity was associated with proximity to impaired gas wells. We also identified certain chemicals, including disclosed hydraulic fracturing fluid additives, in samples that were either in close proximity to impaired gas wells or that exhibited a biological effect. In addition to correlations with drilling activity, the biological assays and high-resolution mass spectrometry detected substances that arose from other anthropogenic sources. Our complementary approach provides a more comprehensive picture of water quality by considering both biological effects and a broad screening for chemical contaminants.
人类活动（如化石燃料开采和农业）会导致地表水和地下水受到污染，但由于对涉及的化学物质和化学过程了解不完整，因此很难对此进行评估。对于附近的油井和/或气井采用水力压裂技术进行开采而导致饮用水潜在污染的情况，更是如此。宾夕法尼亚州萨斯奎哈纳县的非常规天然气开采引起了广泛关注，特别是在宾夕法尼亚州迪莫克附近。我们分析了整个萨斯奎哈纳县地表水和地下水样本，同时还采用互补的生物测定法和高分辨率质谱法进行分析。我们发现，Ah 受体活性与靠近受损气井有关。我们还在靠近受损气井或表现出生物效应的样本中鉴定出某些化学物质，包括已披露的水力压裂液添加剂。除了与钻探活动的相关性外，生物测定法和高分辨率质谱法还检测到了其他人为来源产生的物质。我们的互补方法通过同时考虑生物效应和广泛筛查化学污染物，提供了更全面的水质状况图。
