Fracking gets the go-ahead

[ncsonde]

have some pregnant women started to opt not to have the ultrasound because of these fears?

The official line of the medical establishment has always been ultrasound is absolutely safe. Despite the fact that health and safety studies were never conducted before its introduction, and very few have been conducted since; or that given its now near ubiquity, it's virtually impossible to distinguish any effects it might be causing. So - there are very few "fears" to speak of, I should think. And if there were, it would be a judgement call similar to the one about vaccination - what are the putative possible risks versus the undoubted benefits.

This widespread introduction of a technology without investigating the possible effects on human health is not at all unusual. You could say the same about electricity in the home, or power lines near housing, or as was initially the case with radar, mobile phones, and wifi installations. We're now bombarded with em fields, of a wide range of frequencies. And virtually nothing is known about the possible interactions between them and the em fields used by the organism to conduct and maintain its own functions.

In the case of asthma, it seems likely - given the few efficacious treatments in use - that the root cause (of non-atopic varieties at least) is a malfunctioning or immaturely calibrated intracellular ion balance - asthma sufferers are for some reason not registering quickly enough, or not responding smoothly enough, to various ion concentrations between the inside and outside of cells. In particular, calcium level balance seems to be not under precise enough control.

We know from one of the pitifully meagre studies done into em pollution that the cellular balance of calcium can be severely disrupted by very weak fields of 16 Hz, and its harmonics. Expose someone to a 16 hertz field and calcium gates are artificially opened and efflux occurs, especially in the neurones of the brain, marrow cells, and the white cells of the immune system.

[marchesarosa]

The full horror of shale gas


Hidden Creek, Burleson


When the screening trees and shrubs are a bit bigger the site will be almost obscured from the view of golfers and sportsmen on the surrounding floodlit playing fields, though admittedly, birds and low flying air passengers might notice it.

N.B. By the way, do the playing field floodlights impact the rural idyll at all?

And what about this at Balcombe below? They had to go up in a helicopter to get this view! It looks almost completely screened from ground level view to me by thick woods and a recently established conifer plantation. When the drilling is completed, the drill rig dismantled and only the well head remains there will be very little to see. So what's to worry about, please?

[marchesarosa]

Here's another example of the impact of fracking in Pennsyvnia

[pippa]

did you watch the horizon programme a few weeks back about fracking in pennsylvania, marchesa?


very interesting where residents of a small town have all become 'mysteriously' ill, which they reckon is caused by fracking. plus there seems to be a 'sworn to secrecy' clause where gp's aren't allowed to disclose suspicions that fracking might be the cause of their patients sickness.

in principle it could possibly be a safe way to extract gas. however companies motivated by profit alone and don't have a care for the environment are not taking enough care not to cause fissures in the rock that's being drilled that can allow gas to escape into the water table (or sumsuch).

[pippa]

found it if anyone's interested:





interesting comments highly critical of the bbc in not going far enough and claims of the programme being a whitewash. this is one:


"Seriously, I have the utmost respect for Horizon as a relatively unbiased source of scientific discourse but on this occasion I think they glossed over the downside of fracking. There is plenty of evidence in America of the dangerous cocktail of chemicals used in the process ending up in drinking water and the food chain.
Watch Gasland the independent documentary by Josh Fox then write to your MP and tell them why you don't want it. I live in The Peak District our water is beautiful, currently."

[marchesarosa]

I think I saw a bit of this recent prog but I didn't rate what I saw, pippa. Cranks, I would say. Isn't the USA the home of the conspiracy theory?
And the Gaslands film is a complete travesty.

I don't think fracking as an extraction technique is any more harmful than others. It's just a red rag to the usual environmentalist luddites, I'm afraid.

As for water contamination, most UK residents get their water from reservoirs not wells or boreholes, after all. The USA is a VERY different place!

There is absolutely no reason to prevent exploratory fracking in the UK that I can discern. We'll know in a few years whether there is anything of concern arising.

[marchesarosa]

90% of the fracking fluid is water, 9.5% is sand. The rest is as follows:



i.e. nothing that doesn't go down our drains all the time.