Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, United States.
Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, United States; Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, United States.
Water Res. 2022 Jan 1;208:117878. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117878. Epub 2021 Nov 19.
Hydraulic fracturing (HF) remains a current global energy policy issue, and understanding risks to drinking water resources from HF chemicals is an important aspect of this topic. The quantity and quality of disclosed HF chemical information are significant barriers for stakeholders attempting to perform systemic environmental and public health research. A repeatable approach for processing HF chemical disclosure data is provided using United States FracFocus data as a case study. We fill research gaps by examining HF chemical trends between 2014 and 2020 and comparing HF chemicals with a list of reference chemicals known or suspected to be in contact (unrelated to HF) with drinking water, food, or cosmetics. In total, 1,244 unique HF chemicals were identified. Compared with EPA's 2016 HF chemical disclosure research, 480 new chemicals are identified, and 318 previously reported chemicals were not observed. The annual unique chemical counts have dropped from 878 to 594 (32.3%) over the research period, while data quality and transparency have increased. Approximately 69.7% of the identified HF ingredients were found in a list of reference chemicals known or suspected to be in contact (unrelated to HF) with drinking water, food, or cosmetics. Chemical differences between production types (gas and oil) and states are also reviewed. Our research reveals that the sociotechnical system surrounding HF is dynamic and moving toward fewer and, in general, safer chemicals, for those that are disclosed. This study highlights opportunities for new and updated systemic research regarding HF chemical hazard dynamics and associated risk to drinking water resources.
水力压裂（HF）仍然是当前全球能源政策的一个问题，了解 HF 化学物质对饮用水资源的风险是这个主题的一个重要方面。披露的 HF 化学信息的数量和质量是利益相关者试图进行系统的环境和公共卫生研究的重要障碍。本文提供了一种使用美国 FracFocus 数据作为案例研究来处理 HF 化学物质披露数据的可重复方法。我们通过检查 2014 年至 2020 年 HF 化学物质的趋势，并将 HF 化学物质与已知或怀疑与饮用水、食品或化妆品接触（与 HF 无关）的参考化学物质列表进行比较，填补了研究空白。总共确定了 1244 种独特的 HF 化学物质。与 EPA 的 2016 年 HF 化学物质披露研究相比，发现了 480 种新的化学物质，而之前报道的 318 种化学物质没有观察到。在研究期间，每年独特化学物质的数量从 878 下降到 594（32.3%），而数据质量和透明度有所提高。在所确定的 HF 成分中，约 69.7%的成分存在于已知或怀疑与饮用水、食品或化妆品接触（与 HF 无关）的参考化学物质列表中。还审查了生产类型（天然气和石油）和州之间的化学差异。我们的研究表明，围绕 HF 的社会技术系统是动态的，正在朝着披露的更少、总体上更安全的化学物质方向发展。本研究强调了关于 HF 化学物质危害动态及其对饮用水资源相关风险的新的和更新的系统研究的机会。
