A new study published in Ground Water two weeks ago has concluded that fracking chemicals injected into the ground could reach drinking water supplies much more rapidly than previously predicted, ProPublica reports.
Scientists and experts have hypothesized that the chemicals used in fracking, such as benzene and methanol, would remain safely underground, miles below water supplies. But the study, which used computer modeling, found that the chemicals could reach the surface in as little as a few years.
‘”Simply put, [the rock layers] are not impermeable,” said the study’s author, Tom Myers, an independent hydrogeologist.’
This study is the first peer-reviewed research of its kind and it was funded by organizations that oppose fracking in the Marcellus.
Fracking Curation project 