Fracking injects millions of gallons of water, sand and proprietary chemicals into drilling wells under very high pressure, to fragment the shale and open fissures to release natural gas.
The dangerous environmental impacts of fracking continue unchecked by safety regulations or governmental oversight because the process is exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act.
More than 70% of the fracking fluid stays in the ground and is not biodegradable.
The wastewater that can be recovered from the fracking process is contaminated by highly corrosive salts, benzene, radium and other carcinogens.
One well can be fracked up to 18 times and each time a well is fracked it requires between 1-8 million gallons of water, which are transported by hundreds of water haulers.
More than 80,000 pounds of chemicals are injected into the earth's crust at each drill site.
The wastewater is also trucked out and accidents or leaks further jeopardize the health of area residents exposed to the radioactive and toxic materials used during fracking.
Fracking waste is taken to regular water treatment plants, which are not equipped to handle the radioactive materials and other toxic chemicals, and is then added back into the drinking supply.
Because of an exception in the 2005 energy bill, called the Halliburton Loophole, the fracking process is not regulated.
Although the gas companies are not required to report the chemicals used to frack under the Halliburton loophole, scientists suspect that at least 65 of the compounds are hazardous to human health.
The average fracking well is about 8,000 feet deep, and most drinking water aquifers are 1,000 feet below the surface.
