High Levels of Radon Found in Fracking Fluid

High Levels of Radon Found in Fracking Fluid

Fracking has been controversial for many reasons, and now activists can add high radon levels to the list. Testing on fracking fluid in Pennsylvania found high levels of radon in the liquid.

Fracking is when miners pump pressurized liquid into the earth to free up gas and oil. Environmentalists say that the act can contaminate groundwater. MSNBC partnered with news website Vocativ to test the water in a stream near where fracking is occurring. They found radon levels in the water to be thousands of times higher than the EPA limits for drinking water. Drinking water with high levels of radon can be dangerous according to the EPA, but it is not as dangerous as breathing radon in the air.