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June 5th, 2023
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been used in Ohio’s gas and oil wells since at least 2013. However, shortcomings in Ohio’s public disclosure rules prevent the public from knowing just how much PFAS – or other toxic chemicals – are being used in gas fracking in Ohio or being injected underground at high pressures. Concerns remain that Ohioans may unknowingly be exposed to highly hazardous substances. PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals” because of their persistence in the environment once created, have been associated with a host of cancers, birth defects, liver, kidney, hormone, and other adverse health conditions.
Data from FracFocus, one of two official Ohio repositories for the states required disclosure of fracking chemicals, found that PFAS have been used in Ohio wells for fracking in eight Ohio counties: Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe, and Washington. Beyond that, Ohioans could be exposed to PFAS through the high-pressure injection of billions of gallons of wastewater from oil and gas wells in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia into one or more of Ohio’s 245 underground injection disposal wells, or from fracking fluids taken to centralized waste treatment facilities or being spread on Ohio’s roads for de-icing or dust suppression.
Ohio law allows oil and gas companies to claim fracking chemicals as “trade secret” and shield their identities from the public and regulators. Between 2013 and 2022, gas fracking companies asserted trade secret privilege claims in 2,164 wells across 17 Ohio counties. Furthermore, while Ohio is one of two states that require oil and gas companies to publicly disclose at least some of the chemicals used in drilling that precedes fracking, Ohio also allows these companies to claim “trade secrets” and withhold the identities of the chemicals used in drilling (before a well is hydraulically fractured) from the public and regulators. Shielding this information increases the likelihood that Ohioans could be exposed to forever or other toxic chemicals without having adequate means to protect themselves. This trade secrets nonsense also makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to determine how extensively PFAS (and other highly toxic chemicals) have been used in Ohio.
As an Ohio citizen, you have the right to know what types of harm and risks to which this industry is exposing you. Contact your state and federal representatives. Demand that they end the “Halliburton Rule” that allows these companies to conceal the composition of toxic waste that they are spreading all over eastern Ohio. Join the chorus of medical professionals calling for an end to the use of forever chemicals in fracking. And if you believe you have been harmed by the fracking industry, contact an experienced law firm right away to explore your rights.
