COLUMBUS — “Ohio requires disposal-well operators to send analyses of brine from new wells before they are injected, Simmers said. As in other states, the tests measure how much salt, dissolved solids and metals are present in the water.
None of the tests looks for commonly used fracking compounds, including ethylene glycol, which can damage the kidneys, nervous system, lungs and heart.
Though oil and gas companies disclose most of the fracking compounds they use, several are kept confidential. They are listed as trade secrets in state and federal reports.
Teresa Mills, Ohio organizer for the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, said state and federal rules governing disposal wells must be updated so that tests cover all chemicals and compounds.
‘Those are tests that were done on your grandfather’s oil and gas well,’ Mills said. ‘This is a totally different waste now.’”
— Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch
