Synergist - October 2011

In June, Texas became the first state to pass legislation requiring natural gas energy companies to disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, also known as “ fracking.” In this process for extracting oil and gas, drillers pump water containing extraction chemicals into the ground at high pressures to crack rock formations and shale deposits. Environmental groups have voiced concern over the process, noting that the chemicals in the fluid could taint water supplies.

The new law will force drillers to reveal the chemicals used in the fracking process and their respective amounts beginning in July 2012. Companies must post the information on the website www.fracfocus.org.

Hydraulic fracturing is a common practice in many states, though Texas is the only state to currently require drilling companies to list the chemicals used in all fracking projects. Reports have shown that toxic chemicals are showing up in communities near fracking wells, pushing communities and activists to rally against the extraction process.

Originally sponsored by State Representative Jim Keffer, the law was intended to provide information needed for medical and environmental research and treatment, as well as regulatory investigations. “This bill strikes a balance between creating a sustainable market for business and ensuring the health and safety of the public,” Keffer said.

In September, the Texas Railroad Commission, the state agency charged with enforcing the new regulation, began the process of adopting a set of rules to enforce the law among well operators. The commission aims to have rules for the reporting of all chemicals by July 1, 2012.

The October issue of the Journalof Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH) features the following articles:

Comparison of Toluene Adsorption
Among Granular Activated Carbon
and Different Types of Activated
Carbon Fibers (ACFs)
By Jo Anne G. Balanay, Shaun A. Crawford
and Claudiu T. Lungu

Methods of Evaluating Protective Clothing Relative to Heat and Cold Stress: Thermal Manikin, Biophysical Modeling, and Human Testing By Catherine O’Brien, Laurie A. Blanchard, Bruce S. Cadarette, Thomas L. Endrusick, Xiaojiang Xu, Larry G. Berglund, Michael N. Sawka and Reed W. Hoyt

Clinical Characteristics of Acoustic
Trauma Caused by Gunshot Noise
in Mass Rifle Drills Without Ear
Protection
By In Seok Moon, Sang-Yong Park, Hyun Jin
Park, Hoon-Shik Yang, Sung-Jong Hong and
Won-Sang Lee

Estimating Reusability of Organic Air-Purifying Respirator Cartridges By Gerry O. Wood and Jay L. Snyder

Exposure Characterization of Metal
Oxide Nanoparticles in the Work-
place
By Brian Curwin and Steve Bertke

A Pilot Study of Workplace Dermal Exposures to Cypermethrin at a Chemical Manufacturing Plant By Timothy J. Buckley, Laura A. Geer, Thomas H. Connor, Shirley Robertson, Deborah Sam-mons, Jerome Smith, John Snawder and Mark Boeniger

AIHA® members can access the full
texts of JOEH articles through the
Member Center on www.aiha.org, as
well as the full-text archives of the
AIHAJournal from 1940 to 2003.
Full-text archives of
Applied Occupa-
tional and Environ-
mental Hygiene from
1986 to 2003 are
also available.