Ken Summers stands next to a wellhead for an exploratory natural gas well near his home not far from Noel, Nova Scotia in December. He is concerned about the impact of fracking on drinking water supplies. He is to the left of the picture, wearing a dark blue baseball hat, open to reveal a salmon coloured shirt. Standing in dark jeans, he is gesturing with cupped hands situated in front of his waste. Beside him is an ugly bit of machinery that raises to about three feet above Mr. Summers's height. It resembles a very tall fire hydrant except it is not red by a rusty grey-green. Behind these two and extending to woods filled with trees devoid of leaves, is area about 200 yards wide of mud mixed with ground water.

Ken Summers stands next to a wellhead for an exploratory natural gas well near his home not far from Noel, Nova Scotia in December. He is concerned about the impact of fracking on drinking water supplies.
Photo Credit: Candian Press / Andrew Vaughan

Federal toxic chemical list draws fire from Environmentalists

By Terry Haig |
english@rcinet.ca
Posted: Friday, July 25, 2014 11:43
Last Updated: Friday, July 25, 2014 15:06

Canada’s pro-business Conservative government and environmentalists are squaring off again.

The latest skirmish follows the release of an Environment Canada list updated earlier this month of an 363 harmful chemicals going into Canadian air, land and water.

Anti-fracking activists are trying to make their case in many ways. Here, a protester is seen in Rexton, New Brunswick in October, 2013 as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration. The man is wearing a white t-shirt that says in big black letters GET THE FRACK OUT OF MY TERRITORY. He is shown from just above the waste standing in front of a wooded area. In front of the woods are small pennants bent into various positions by a breeze. On his face, he is wearing dark sun glasses over what appears to be an East Indian light blue mask. Sticking up from the mask are what appear to be long, light blue straw-like hairs that extend to about a foot above his head. Below the mask is a bandana of brown camouflage design. Atop his head is a turquoise-coloured mask of some sort, resembling one a doctor might wear in an operating room.
Anti-fracking activists are trying to make their case in many ways. Here, a protester is seen in Rexton, New Brunswick in October, 2013 as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration. © Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan

The list did not include toxic chemicals used in fracking, and the omission has environmentalists steamed.

Fracking is one of the drugs of choice for the oil industry. The process extracts otherwise inaccessible oil and gas by fracturing rocks with high-pressure injections of water and other compounds.

A recent U.S. study found that 750 different chemicals are used in process. It said at least 29 of them are considered toxic or carcinogenic.

Three environmental groups had asked Environment Canada to include fracking chemicals on the updated list. The agency decided that such chemicals are not used regularly enough, or in large enough quantities, to be inventoried.

Environmentalists fear the possible cumulative effects of fracking, including the poisoning of local water supplied. They maintain that while fracking isn’t continuous at any one wellsite, that doesn’t mean releases aren’t continuous.

Critics say if the government does not know exactly which chemicals are being used for fracking, it is impossible to assess the risk that may be posed by those chemicals.

A decorated dog makes his presence felt at an anti-fracking demonstration outside the Nova Scotia legislature in Halifax in April, 2011. The dog is a blond-brown and white mutt, somewhat bigger than a cocker spaniel with something of a collie-like face. He is in the right forefront of the picture, looking to his right. Behind him, we see the right leg and foot of a demonstrator wearing dark pants and white sneakers behind him. The dog is has a cardboard sign draped over his back. It says PUT FRACKING IN THE DOG HOUSE NOT ME! His paws are boot-length and white.
A decorated dog makes his presence felt at an anti-fracking demonstration outside the Nova Scotia legislature in Halifax in April, 2011. © Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan

They point to a recent study by the Canadian Council of A cademes for support. The study, released in April, concluded that the silence around such additives is a major roadblock in understanding the environmental impact of fracking

Environment Canada says it is studying the report and adds the inventory was never intended to be an exhaustive list of pollutants.

Perhaps surprisingly, disclosure of fracking chemicals is supported by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

Two provinces, Alberta and British Columbia, already require disclosure but exempt substances considered trade secrets.

Joseph Castrilli is a lawyer with the Canadian Environmental Law Association. I spoke with by phone from his office in Toronto.

Listen
Categories: Economy, Environment & Animal Life, Health, Indigenous, Internet, Science & Technology, Politics, Society
Tags:

Do you want to report an error or a typo? Click here!

More stories

For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.


The world in pictures

Canada in pictures

Search by

Category

Author