News Inferno; August 9, 2013

An emerging study found that high levels of arsenic and other heavy metals are present in groundwater located near hydraulic fracturing (fracking) sites in the Barnett Shale located in Texas.

The Barnet shale comprises some 5,000 square miles in northern Texas and consists of 17 counties in that state, according to the WVGazette.com.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington conducted the research, adding to mounting evidence that arsenic and other heavy metal contamination near natural gas fracking sites may be associated with fracking activities. According to the Aspen Business Journal, a presentation that the The Los Angeles Times obtained, discussed increased arsenic levels in groundwater near wells in Dimock, Pennsylvania. In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found arsenic in the groundwater near Pavillion, Wyoming fracking sites; however, that study was later abandoned by the agency, according to the Aspen Business Journal.

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