Strip mining for sand used in hydraulic fracturing operations could pose risks to water, air, public health and property values, says a report by the Civil Society Institute, the Environmental Working Group and Midwest Environmental Advocates. The study said that nearly every step of the process of getting sand—by blasting chunks off the region's
rolling hillsides and washing away the other soil and rock—poses problems for surrounding communities, Neela Banerjee reports for the Los Angeles Times.
The study was mostly conducted in Wisconsin and Minnesota, where there are 164 working mines and related facilities, with 20 more on the drawing board, said Grant Smith, one of the
authors, Banerjee writes. About 58,000 people live within a half-mile of these facilities. (Times photo by Chris Walker: Sand used in fracking operations in Wisconsin)
Researchers said "washing the sand to separate it from debris uses prodigious amounts of water, often more than the municipal water systems in the counties where mines are located," Banerjee writes. "Mining operators use a chemical, polyacrylamide, to get the debris to clump and separate from the sand. The chemical can break down into acrylamide, a carcinogen, that can enter water sources from wastewater ponds at mine sites, the report said. It remains unclear whether states where sand mining occurs monitor for the formation of acrylamide and its possible migration to water sources."
"Silica dust released from blasting and picked up by the wind from piles of washed sand could pose health risks to nearby residents, the report said," she writes. "Fine airborne particles can irritate people’s lungs and heighten the risk of respiratory ailments. Until now, scientists and regulators have focused on the threat of silica dust at workplaces such as mines and fracking sites. Little research has been done into the presence of silica dust in communities near mines." (Read more)
Researchers said "washing the sand to separate it from debris uses prodigious amounts of water, often more than the municipal water systems in the counties where mines are located," Banerjee writes. "Mining operators use a chemical, polyacrylamide, to get the debris to clump and separate from the sand. The chemical can break down into acrylamide, a carcinogen, that can enter water sources from wastewater ponds at mine sites, the report said. It remains unclear whether states where sand mining occurs monitor for the formation of acrylamide and its possible migration to water sources."
"Silica dust released from blasting and picked up by the wind from piles of washed sand could pose health risks to nearby residents, the report said," she writes. "Fine airborne particles can irritate people’s lungs and heighten the risk of respiratory ailments. Until now, scientists and regulators have focused on the threat of silica dust at workplaces such as mines and fracking sites. Little research has been done into the presence of silica dust in communities near mines." (Read more)
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