Oil Fracking Research Paper

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Oil fracking is one of the most common ways Americans get their fossil fuels for day-to-day life. The process of fracking uses highly pressurised water and chemicals to break apart rocks within the crust of the Earth. The ultimate goal of the process is to release oils and gases that can be used for fossil fuels. In Southern California alone, there are more than two hundred of these offshore drilling sites, and all of them pose a threat to the ocean.

One of the biggest concerns that comes from fracking is the direct pollution it adds to the ocean. In the case of an oil spill, humans will not be affected the most, rather marine life. Many of the fracking sites drill hundreds of thousands of meters deep into the ocean, so any small mistake and the consequences can be catastrophic. An example of this is the British Petroleum oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico. During this event, eleven workers died and excess of 3 million barrels of oil leaked into the ocean. The fatality rates of many different marine life spiked drastically including, dolphins, sea turtles, and coral reefs. The effects of this tragedy still are present today, as amounts of the oil have been absorbed by the environment, altering the natural chemistry. …show more content…
In order to transport the gases and oil from the individual sites to processing plants, fossil fuels are burned. Additionally, many volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) are emitted into the atmosphere during fracking. VOCs are regulated by the United States government due to being labeled as hazardous. The effects of VOCs are concentrated on the respiratory and nervous systems of both humans and animals. Many of these fracking sites are also close to the shores of populated areas, and therefore have a direct effect of humans and the atmosphere. The negative effects of offshore drilling are not only seen through

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