A witches brew

Natural gas from shale formations is the new kid on the block. But it is not without its share of dangers, as media attention in the US shows.

The gas, which is trapped in tiny bubble-like pockets in the rock, is procured by forcefully injecting chemicals diluted with millions of gallons of water into the rock. This fracking ruptures the earth, creating fissures through which the gas passes -- along with a brew of carcinogens, acutely poisonous heavy metals, and radioactive elements.

Uranium, radium, and radon make the shale so radioactive that companies sometimes drop Geiger counters into wells to determine whether they have reached the gas-rich deposits. But those compounds are almost benign compared to the fracking fluids that drillers inject into the wells. Some of these are very dangerous to human health.

Among other pollutants which fracking produces is ozone in large quantities and the damage to crops from ozone is well known.

Before more nations join the US and others in the rush to exploit this source, it may be wise to look into these aspects and put in place safety measures before drilling. Short-term benefits have to be balanced with long-term damage.