Bill seeks to end use of radioactive brine on Ohio roadways

The effects of radiation exposure accumulate over time, regardless of whether that exposure is to alpha, beta or gamma radiation. When a person is exposed to radiation, some of the cells in their body are damaged. This is why health care professionals exit the room when an x-ray is taking place; nuclear researchers wear dosimeters; and radiation therapy used for cancer patients is strictly monitored. 

Why then do politicians in Ohio continue to downplay the harm posed by using radioactive oil and gas wastes on our roads as a deicer or dust suppressant? 

Water soluble radium isotopes in the wastes can enter our surface water and contaminant our land. “In its 1988 Regulatory Determination, the US EPA admitted that exploration and production (E and P) wastes contain toxic substances that endanger both human health and the environment and cause cancer.” The benzene, phenanthrene, lead, arsenic, barium, antimony, fluoride, and uranium found in E and Pwastes are of major concern and present at levels that exceed 100 times EPA’s health-based standards. 

Still oil and gas wastes are exempt from federal hazardous materials regulations found in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. While states can set their own regulations for oilfield wastes, Ohio’s EPA chose to exempt some oil and gas wastes “including any drill cuttings and production fluids that are directly derived from drilling and well development.”

Some politicians in Ohio would like us to think that oil and gas wastes are like soap and contain less radiation than a banana. That simply is not the case. The amount of radiation in a banana from Potassium-40 is negligible. Tests in 2020 by Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Buckeye Environmental Network show levels of radiation in vertical well wastes up to 9000 pCi/liter of Radium 226 and 228 combined and horizontal wastes up to 4000 pCi/liter of Radium 226 and Radium 228. The safe drinking water limit for these two isotopes is 5 pCi/liter. 

When a well is drilled, drill cuttings along with flow-back water bring large quantities of wastes to the surface. Geologists have used the radioactivity of Marcellus shales to help locate possible drilling sites. In addition, there are numerous harmful hydrocarbons like benzene found in the fluids extracted from both vertical and horizontal wells drilled. Horizontal fracturing requires additional chemicals added to the drilling fluids. Many of these 1000+ compounds are endocrine disruptors or carcinogenic. There may be some “surfactants” in that list but this fluid isn’t soap. All of these chemicals, whether naturally occurring or man-made, are extracted in oil and gas waste fluids. Every year, billions of gallons of wastes are injected into the over 200 Class II wells located in our communities. 

Recently, Representatives Tristan Rader and Sean Brennan introduced HB 439 which would prohibit the use of oil and gas wastes (brine) for surface application on roads in Ohio. Given the toxicity of these wastes this bill would provide a level of safety to communities from being exposed to a toxic substance without their knowledge or approval. Ohioans need to support this bill. 

Dr. Randi Pokladnik

Tappan Lake