A re-purposing has been found for fracking waste, and it has been widely re-distributed already as de-icing material:
Living not far from a mining area, when we drilled for a new well last year, it was a lesson in geology. We have a shallower well that tests clear for lead, but the new well initially had a high level of lead and cadmium. Other contaminants were not tested; lead is typically the higher level of toxic heavy metals in this area and it was used as the marker for whether the well casing was properly sealed. There is a shale level between the two aquifers in our area, and that shale level must be sealed from the lower aquifer for all new wells. The State maintains a map of well depth requirements that are based on where the shale is located. If there is a problem with the seal, water can carry down heavy metals from the area of contamination. So each new well must be certified by the State based on test results. When the initial samples showed that the contamination was not decreasing, a dye study revealed a problem with the integrity of the seal. So the well had to be re-drilled, and a camera used to identify the best place to install the seal. The new well has now been certified, but given that this property is close to a mining area and contamination has occurred, we installed an RO system for water for humans and Newfs.
The lesson in the areas of distribution of heavy metals makes the issues addressed in the article on de-icing materials clear, easy to recognize.
It also makes me wonder about an issue I’ve noticed with the Newfs since we have been here. All of the roads in this area are paved, which is convenient and nice for transportation needs. Our drive is gravel, for three reasons: asphalt contains a lot of toxic materials that our Newfs would otherwise walk on, gravel is a better footing for a Newf when walking, and gravel allows rainwater to follow a natural path. Too much concrete and asphalt reduces the efficiency of natural filtering. Plus, concrete and asphalt retain heat, which isn’t an asset for most of the year.
In general, I am strongly in favor of reclamation – Re-purpose, Re-use, Re-cycle, and first: Reduce. Materials that can’t be recycled safely and those that do not have a recycling option are low on my list of priorities. We can’t live sustainably until we figure out the whole process. Dumping on land, in air or in oceans is simply not a survivable option. The key issue in this case is safety.
For a long time, I walked the Newfs on the road for exercise. Walking on our property, which has a lot of trees and wildlife, means that the dogs pick up ticks. But one after one, I found that at some point they resisted wanting to go onto the road. I assumed it was heat from the road in summer initially, or fear of passing vehicles. But it continued during winter. Whenever de-icing material was applied, I would wait for rain before taking them onto the road again, thinking the salt was irritating their pads or the skin between their pads. Three Newfs associated something about walking on the road with a negative consequence. The first of those three developed sores on his feet, which he exacerbated by licking. Those sores turned out to be cancerous. The second one tended to have lack of immunity to health issues. Now the third one has a couple of de-pigmented spots, and she had begun licking her feet also. Last year I quit taking her onto the road for walks. Any of these three Newfs could have experienced these issues for reasons not related to the application of de-icing material, or their health status may have been additionally taxed by the de-icing materials.
The problem with re-purposing fracking waste is the variety of toxic materials present in that waste, and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and arsenic will accumulate, on the roadsides if not in the asphalt. Contaminants present and levels will depend on the area where the mining occurred. The process of flushing out methane gas also flushes out contaminants. The same would be true for liquid de-icing materials applied to drives, sidewalks or steps. Without clearly identifying the material on the label, it is not possible to select a liquid product that is genuinely “pet-safe”.
Rock salt or sand would be a much more innocuous product to use for de-icing or slip resistance. A rug at a landing for steps will remove a lot of sand from Newf feet. Rock salt is also mined, as is table salt, but table salt must meet food safety requirements. Rock salt can have some naturally occurring contaminants, depending on the area where it was mined. Below is an article from a Pennsylvania study that includes test results for radioactive isotopes in rock salt, but does not provide comparison results for these isotopes in other salt sources. It discusses the differences between brine from traditional drilling for oil and gas, which has been used for many years, and brine from fracking:
Keep your yards safe. Some contaminants accumulate and cannot be removed. Use more innocuous products when there are options.
