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CANSA AND FRACKING What? Who? Why? Where? Dr Carl Albrecht CANSA Head of Research 21 January 2015 CANSA Science and Resource Centre, Mowbray 2
What is CANSA? 3
CANSA Cancer Research Focus on cancer prevention Foremost cancer research funder in SA 30 Projects at institutions 10 In-house projects R100 million + of own research funds from public All data generated belongs 100% to CANSA No vested interests at all 4
What is the overlap? Carcinogens 5
Heart of the fracking problem Carcinogenic pollution of drinking water could increase cancer rate in Karoo 6
Mutations cause cancer 7
90% of cancers caused by environmental carcinogens SMOKING 30% VIRUSES 20% CHEMICALS 15% OBESITY 15% ALCOHOL 5% SUNLIGHT 5% GENETICS 10% TOTAL 100% 8
Key Questions Is fracking in the Karoo going to increase the rate of cancers? What can CANSA do about this? 9
Carcinogens in fracking fluid There is a long list but the two most well known are: Benzene Formaldehyde Crystalline silica Cadmium Lead -210 10
Worst scenario Carcinogens in the Karoo spill into drinking water aquifer due to casing leak 11
The late Professor Gerrit van Tonder, a leading ground water expert and one of the most informed academics on fracking, had the following to say before his untimely death in 2014: There is no doubt that the fracking well casings will fail, sooner or later. That is why I say that contamination is absolutely inevitable and it will be one of the biggest water pollution disasters in the world. South Africa is so short of water. We cannot risk this. (Cape Times, April 28, 2014, Page 9) 12
CANSA Fracking link CANSA believes that 90% of all cancers are due to carcinogens and lifestyle choices CANSA endeavors to reduce the burden of carcinogens thus reducing the burden of cancer Fracking uses 700+ chemicals including about 100 carcinogens and endocrine disrupting compounds 13
What can CANSA do? Lobby for: 1. Less use of carcinogens in fracking 2. Full disclosure of chemicals in fracking fluid 3. Underground drinking water analyses by fracking company before, during and after fracking. 4. Full disclosure of these data on Department of Water affairs website; CANSA website 14
Is this not standard practice? Not in US where Energy Policy Act of 2005 excluded fracking from rules and regulations of the EPA Safe Drinking Water Act. There is no reason except greed why similar legislation should exist in South Africa. CANSA believes that transparency will lead to better quality fracking which will lead to less spills of carcinogens. 15
CANSA investigation of baseline water quality determinations 4 March 2014 16 km from Cradock Farm of Mr Philip Antrobus Help from Jeanie Le Roux and Jonathan Deal of TKAG Water samples collected for research Full report on www.cansa.org.za/fracking 16
Parameters of quality tested: 1. ph 2. Conductivity 3. Elemental composition ICP-MS 4. Organics composition LCMS, GCMS 5. Pesticides Result: No unexpected compounds found baseline is flat. Exercise is highly do-able. 17
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Example of data collected LCMS Blank CA_CANSA_140620_8 1.06 174.0 1: TOF MS ES+ BPI 1.36e3 % 1.13 174.0 0.29 159.9 1.17 174.0 2.63 159.9 3.06 2.60;187.0 187.0 3.50 159.9 4.22 187.0 4.95 187.0 5.97 4.96;159.9 187.0 7.26 159.9 6.71 7.81 159.9 459.8 8.65 9.10 9.37 187.0 187.0 159.9 10.15 187.0 10.84 187.0 11.60 187.0 12.56 12.93 15.26 459.8 13.45 459.8 14.37 15.03186.2 459.8 13.89 459.8 186.2 15.76 187.0 177.1 16.54 459.8 17.73 18.13 459.8 459.8 20.40 19.13 18.91 459.8 441.8 19.87 20.96 441.8 441.8 187.0 21.78 22.22 22.79 441.8 459.8 441.8 23.09 459.8 5 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 18.00 19.00 20.00 21.00 22.00 23.00 CA_CANSA_140620_7 1: TOF MS ES+ 6.61;340.3 BPI 6.58 2.29e3 340.3 % 6.67 340.3 0.95 174.0 2.92 227.2 2.84;227.2 2.97;227.2 1.02 174.0 1.95 2.79 3.01 0.43 1.26 159.9 159.9 227.2 4.16 159.9 159.9 3.70 158.0 159.9 6.52 340.3 5.05 5.28 5.86 459.8 441.8 459.8 7.53 7.05 187.0 187.0 8.41 8.73 187.0 158.0 9.46 187.0 10.96 10.40 158.0 459.8 11.55 459.8 12.21 187.0 12.61 158.0 13.36 177.1 14.19 158.0 15.13 15.57 459.8 441.8 16.39 16.77 17.44 158.0 459.8 459.8 18.34 18.09 459.8 19.28 459.8 459.8 19.96 20.22 20.90 459.8 459.8 247.2 22.93 192.1 22.76 21.61 22.09 459.8 459.8 441.8 4 Time 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 18.00 19.00 20.00 21.00 22.00 23.00 21
Main issue linking CANSA to Fracking ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY Message to fracking companies (Shell, Bundu and Falcon) Be open about what you are doing Collect excellent water quality data before, during and after fracking Put this on various websites for all to see If you spill, accept your own data and pay compensation Reduce use of carcinogens Reduce risk for cancer in the Karoo 22
South African Situation Act 28 of 2002 has been recalled Act calls for disclosure of chemicals Act calls for water quality testing paid for by fracking companies Act does not address transparency of this information Excellent opportunity to lobby further 18 recommendations to be submitted 23
Main Message to Government No secrets please! Put fracking fluid chemical composition on Internet for all to see. Put before, during and after water quality data per fracking event on Internet for all to see. 24
Fracking information on Internet 25
Transparency, in the used science, engineering, business, the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability 26
Lowering risk is the cure of cancer. Intellectuals solve problems; geniuses prevent them. Albert Einstein 27
Take home message Link fracking information to the open Internet. Increase caution and decrease carcinogen pollution, do not increase cancer risk. 28
www.cansa.org.za/fracking 29
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The End Thank You www.cansa.org.za Toll-free 0800 22 66 22 Whilst the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) has taken every precaution in compiling this presentation, neither it, nor any contributor(s) to this presentation can be held responsible for any action (or the lack thereof) taken by any person or organisation wherever they shall be based, as a result, direct or otherwise, of information contained in, or accessed through, this presentation. 31