Forever Chemicals in Ohio Oil and Gas Waste Report

September 29, 2022

Columbus, OH - Today, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) released a report that shows that a class of extremely toxic chemicals known as PFAS has been used in Ohio’s oil and gas wells since at least 2013. Due to gaps in Ohio’s disclosure rules, the full extent of the use of PFAS in oil and gas drilling and extraction may have been concealed from regulators and the public and as a result, Ohio communities may unknowingly be exposed to highly hazardous substances.

PSR analyzed industry data recorded in FracFocus, one of two official repositories for Ohio’s oil and gas chemical disclosure, and found that PFAS have been used in Ohio wells for fracking. The affected wells are located in eight Ohio counties.

While Ohio residents have been exposed to the dangers of oil and gas well drilling and extraction, this report also found that Ohioans could be exposed to PFAS through billions of gallons of wastewater from these wells as well. Over the past decade, through this disposal, oil and gas companies have reported dozens of spills of this wastewater, further spreading the oil and gas waste and harming public health and the environment. PFAS has been linked to cancer, birth defects, and other serious health effects.

“These ‘forever chemicals’ persist indefinitely in the environment and cause lasting damage to the body’s immune and nervous systems,” Shelly Corbin, Campaign Representative said. “The obvious answer here is to halt PFAS in the use of oil and gas extraction that has not only exposed Ohioans to PFAS but also from drilling all across Appalachia. In the meantime, it is unjust to silence the public and leave them out of this process, as they are the people who are the most impacted by these decisions and the harmful effects of these toxic chemicals. The Ohio government is supposed to be accountable to Ohioans, not the fossil fuel industry, and it is the government’s job to protect the people. It is time to hold oil and gas companies accountable in order to protect the public’s health and the environment before extraction and disaster begins.”
 
Link to report https://bit.ly/3E5gRMz
 
Retweet opportunity https://twitter.com/OhioSierraClub/status/1575534574264029184