Update: May 1st, 2015 Received word that the fracking wastewater will not be discharged through the sewer system in Debert. It will be processed by LaFarge, the cement plant in Brookfield, Nova Scotia. If you click on the proposed dumping date link in the paragraph below, you will see this event has been cancelled. There isn’t any word yet on what will happen to the 20 million litres of wastewater currently being held in ponds in Kennetcook.
Tourists, friends and family from out of province, will have to be warned about visiting Nova Scotia. The amount of toxins that is proposed to start entering the Fundy Bay on May 31st, 2015, could increase the risk of being diagnosed with cancer or some other mutated type of abnormality. Warn them not to eat the seafood and to stay away from the shores.
In a previous article we learned that Methylene Bis (Thocyanate) and 2-(Thiocyanomethylthio) Benzothiozole biocides are rated with the highest toxicity category of the US EPA. The concentration of 0.1% which AIS minimized in its submission, would be hundreds of times greater than any of the minimum exposure thresholds of concern for Toxicity Category 1.
In the report written by Ken Summers for Ecology Action Centre , other chemicals were found to be present in the fracking watewater, but because of the lack of testing, the amounts used are not given, and cannot be calculated. This list of chemicals also includes:
- Methanol
- Isoproponal
- Ethoxylated Alcohol
- Trisodium Nitrotriacetate
- Sodium Persulphate
- Diethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether
- Acrylamide Copolymer
- Fatty Acid Esters
- Terpene
- Alcohol Alkyl Alkoxylate
It needs to be noted that Environment Minister Randy Delorey sent wastewater samples to a commercial lab in the US to test for these specialized chemicals and the tests came back as undetectable amounts. These results were made publicly available in 2014.
An Australian Government Senate report (2010-13) concluded that most of these were chemicals that could not be successfully treated by reverse osmosis filtration. There isn’t any mention of these in any of the AIS reports that have been made available to the public. They simply don’t want the people to know. It’s fair to say, that if AIS pries open the doors to start dumping fracking wastewater into the bay, then it should go without saying that the council will start erecting fences around the shoreline, so people are warned not to approach.
Let’s take a look at some of these chemicals…
Trisodium nitrilotriacetate
Known carcinogen. Also an environmental hazard as it hinders the elimination of heavy metals in wastewater treatment systems. Appears in products like Tilex Soap Scum Remover & Sunlight Laundry Detergent. It is also a common flame retardent. Although it is a known carcinogen, it is overly dangerous in wastewater.
Sodium Persulfate:
Exposure via inhalation or skin contact can cause sensitization, i.e., after initial exposures individuals may subsequently react to exposure at very low levels of that substance. Exposure can also cause skin rashes and eczema. Sodium persulfate is irritating to eyes and respiratory system and long-term exposure may cause changes in lung function (i.e. pneumoconiosis resulting in disease of the airways) and/or asthma.
Benzothiazole:
A chemcial ring of Benzene and toluene. It’s Short-term health effects of exposure include dizziness, headache, loss of coordination, respiratory distress, and skin, eye, and nose and throat irritation. Long-term health effects of exposure to include kidney, liver, and blood system damage. Long term exposure to benzene can affect bone marrow, causing anaemia and increasing the risk of leukaemia and diseases such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Benzene is a health hazard even in minute quantities. The Australian drinking water guidelines for benzene state that “no safe concentration for benzene in drinking water .”
Methanol:
A highly toxic VOC readily absorbed via ingestion, inhalation, and skin exposure. Causes central nervous system depression and degenerative changes in the brain and visual system. In the body methanol is metabolized to formaldehyde and formic acid, and is toxic in very small doses if in gested. Chronic exposure causes headache, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, and blindness in humans.
The above chemical descriptions were obtained from an article written by Dr Wayne Somerville B.A.(Hons.), M.Clin.Psych., D.Psy. Clinical Psychologist, titled CSG and Your Health: Understand the Risks, Protect Your Family — if you would like to read the whole article, it’s available in pdf format and can be downloaded by clicking here.
Acrylamide Copolymer as written about in an article stored in a digital library by the University of Florida has these risks associated with it:
Once inside the body, acrylamide binds to red blood cells. Potential symptoms of overexposure to monomeric acrylamide include numbness of the limbs, and weakness and lack of coordination in the legs. Long-term exposure to small doses of acrylamide causes nerve damage in the extremities. Some tunnel construction workers have experienced neurological damage from exposure to acrylamide in grout. Animal studies have shown acrylamide to be a carcinogen, although evidence supporting increased cancer in humans following occupational exposures to acrylamide remains controversial.
Terpene:
Classified as a Group 1 carcinogen. The Environmental Protection Agency’s report in the US warns about:
ECOTOXICITY
- Acute Toxicity to Fish
- Acute Toxicity to Aquatic Invertebrates
- Acute Toxicity to Aquatic Plants
HUMAN HEALTH TOXICITY
- Acute Toxicity
- Genetic Toxicity
- Repeat Dose Toxicity
- Reproductive Toxicity
- Developmental/Teratogenicity Toxicity
Alkyl Alkoxylate:
The production and use of nonylphenol and nonyphenol ethoxylates is prohibited in the European Union due to its effects on health and the environment. In Europe, due to environmental concerns. Besides being a known carcinogen, it has shown to have a negative impact on pregnant women, and people’s metabolism. Wikipedia has a good article on it if you would like more information.
There’s no safe amount of toxin or foreign chemical we can ingest with impunity. The dance with toxins is a game of chemical Russian Roulette. It won’t be safe for residents in Nova Scotia, let alone tourists, friends and family from outside, who want to visit the province. This pretty well holds true if AIS decides to have the wastewater processed through the kiln at LaFarge. It can be likened to passing your friend a loaded revolver and asking them to stick it in their mouth and pull the trigger.