Session 12

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Radionuclides in Fracking Wastewater: Managing a Toxic Blend

Brown, Valerie J. (2014) "Radionuclides in Fracking Wastewater: Managing a Toxic Blend" Environmental Health Perspectives. Vol. 122, No. 2, p. A51-A55.

Discussion / Homework Questions

1. Describe radioactive drilling waste by telling me what it consists of.

2. Briefly describe the Mardcellus Shale deposit, where it is located, how it is tapped for energy and the extent of its uranium content.

3. A professor from Penn State University observed that "if everything is done the way it is supposed to be done, the impact of radioactivity would be faily minimal." So how is "everything to be done" when it comes to fracking and what can go wrong?

4. Describe the fracking process to include how long it has been practiced in the U.S. (You will need to do web research to answer this).

5. What happens when a pollutant that is not water soluble finds its way into a groundwater acquifer?

6. Likewise what happens in regard to a non-water soluble pollutant encountering the groundwater acquifer? (You will need to do web research to answer this).

7. Ultimately what happens to wastes spilled on the ground in a recharge area? (You will need to do web research to answer this).

8. Define these terms: confined acquifer, uncontaine acquifer, water table. (You will need to do web research to answer this).

9. Regarding acquifers, discriminate between these terms: artesian gradient, recharge area and saturated zone. (You will need to do web research to answer this).

10. In an unconfined acquifer how would you characterize these terms: upper boundary, dowgradient limit and the drainage basin. (You will need to do web research to answer this).