Unconventional oil and gas (UOG) operations combine directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” to release natural gas and oil from underground rock.
Oil and Gas Wastewater Disposal May Increase Endocrine Disrupting Activity in Surface Water and Harm West Virginia Waterways, University of Missouri, APRIL 06, 2016
Recent studies have centered on potential water pollution from this process that may increase endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in surface and ground water and whether populations living near these operations have an increased risk of disease.
High Levels of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Found Near Fracking Wastewater Site, ecowatch, April 6, 2016.
Now, researchers from the University of Missouri (MU) report high levels of EDC activity in the surface water near a hydraulic fracturing wastewater disposal facility in West Virginia. Scientists warn that this level of activity may be associated with negative health effects in aquatic organisms, other animals and humans.