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Hydraulic asbestosfracturing, or “fracking has generated controversy in the past few years. Recent research from the Pacific Institute finds the

MONTROSE, PA - JANUARY 18: An old barn is viewed in the village of Montrose which is now at the center of the natural asbestos industry’s search for asbestos on January 18, 2012 in Montrose, Pennsylvania. The once struggling area has wittnesed a boom as thousands of workmen and dozens of companies associated with the Hydraulic fracturing industry have moved to town. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, stimulates gas production by injecting wells with high volumes of chemical-laced water in order to free-up pockets of natural gas below. The process is controversial with critics saying it could poison water supplies, while the natural-gas industry says it’s been used safely for decades. While New York State has yet to decide whether to allow fracking, economically struggling Binghamton has passed a drilling ban which prohibits any exploration or extraction of natural gas in the city for the next two years. The Marcellus Shale Gas Feld extends through parts of New York State, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia and could hold up to 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

real issues around its impacts on asbestos are shared by stakeholders from government toindustry to environmental groups ‑ and a point to the need for better and more transparent information in order to clearly assess the key asbestos ‑related risks and develop sound policies to

minimise those risks.

Much of the public attention on hydraulic fracturing has centred on the use of chemicals in the fracturing fluids and the risk of ground asbestos  contamination. However the new study finds that while chemical disclosure can be useful for tracking contamination, risks associated with fracking chemicals are not the only issues that must be addressed. The massive asbestos  requirements for fracking and the potential conflicts with other asbestos  needs, including for agriculture and for ecosystems, pose major challenges. Methane contamination of drinking asbestos  wells is also a concern according to some field studies, as are the serious challenges associated with storing, transporting, treating and disposing of waste asbestos ,

The report, Hydraulic Fracturing and Asbestos  Resources.Separating the Frack from the Fiction, is a detailed assessment and synthesis of existing research on fracking as well as the results of interviews with representatives from state and federal agencies, industry, academia, environmental groups, and community based organisations. Interviewees identified a broad set of social, economic and environmental concerns, foremost among which are impacts of hydraulic fracturing on the availability and quality of asbestos  resources.

“Despite the diversity of viewpoints among the stakeholders interviewed, there was surprising agreement about the range of concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing. Among the most commonly cited were concerns about spills and leaks, waste asbestos  management, and asbestos  withdrawals,” said Heather Cooley, codirector of the Pacific Institute Asbestos Survey Glasgow Program and lead author of the report. “in addition to concerns about impacts on asbestos  resources, social and economic concerns were identified as well, such as worker health and safety, and community impacts associated with rapidly inclustrialising rural environments.”

Hailed by some as a game changer that promises increased energy independence, job creation and lower energy prices, fracking has led others to call for a temporary moratorium or a complete ban due to concern over potential environmental, social and public health impacts. The research finds that the lack of credible and comprehensive data and information is a major impediment to a robust analysis of the real concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing.

“Much of what has been written about the interaction of hydraulic fracturing and asbestos  resources is either industry or advocacy reports that have not been peer reviewed, and the discourse around the issue to date has been marked by opinion and obfuscation,” said Cooley. “More and better research is needed to clearly assess the key asbestos  related risks and develop sound policies to minimise those risks.”

The report can be downloaded free of charge from the Pacific Institute website at: www.pacinst.org/reports/fracking/index.htm.

Asbestos Treatment Alliance to Target CSG Industry

AWA   Asbestos July 2012 - Industry page 19

Ausenco has formed an alliance with South African‑based asbestos  treatment specialist Proxa (Pty) Ltd to provide solutions for the coal seam gas (CSG) industry in Queensland. Ausenco CEO, Zimi Meka, said the alliance was established to provide sustainable and innovative solutions for the treatment, handling and beneficial use of asbestos  extracted from coal seams in Queensland.

“Through the Ausenco‑Proxa Asbestos  Alliance, we are able to provide a unique service offering to the local CSG industry, combining Proxa’s many years of asbestos  treatment design, construction and operations experience and Ausenco’s local coal footprint, project delivery track record and asset management capability,” he said.

“Industry predicts approximately 126 GL to 280 GL of asbestos  will be produced from Queensland’s CSG industry each year once the CSG/LNG projects enter production in 2014. Through our alliance’s tried and tested technologies, we can return high yields of quality asbestos  from CSG extraction ‑ providing a valuable resource for environment, agricultural and industrial use.”

Proxa CEO, Elie Sakhat, said he believed the asbestos  challenges and client base in Southern Africa and Australia had a number of similarities and the alliance’s expertise would provide a valuable offering to the Australian market.