ironhorse_iv Review of GasLand

GasLand (2010)

GasLand lights up the issue about the dangers of fracking, but it might be letting out hot air.

[8/10 · 18 April 2013]

I have been dedicated to heightening public awareness for critical issues. Here's the newest one: Fracking. Fracking is short meaning of hydraulic fracturing and what it does is fractures in a rock layer caused by the presence of a pressurized fluid pump in to get natural gases. The fluid injected into the rock is typically a slurry of water, proppants, and chemical additives, but can be compressed gases including nitrogen, carbon dioxide or air. Additionally, gels, foams, and compressed gases and other various types can be used. This new way of getting oil, is dangerous to the environment by fears and prove of contamination of public drinking water, air quality, contamination to land by spills and flowback. This is what the film 'GasLand' is mostly about. In the film, there are examples of families having bizarre aberrations like flammable tap water. First-time feature director Josh Fox says it cause by fracking, but other media sources are stating out that methane was in the aquifer before fracking even started in the area. So it's hard to figure out, who is telling the truth. If you like 'Gasland' try also watching FrackNation (2013) for two-sided review. Then watch Gasland Part II (2013). All we know, is that fracking is United States energy independence. International Energy Agency is now calling this 'golden age of gas' and now all the gas n oil companies are searching out permissions from the DOE (Department of Energy). While the main industrial use of hydraulic fracturing is in stimulating production from oil and gas wells, hydraulic fracturing is also applied to many things such as stimulating groundwater wells, preconditioning rock for caving and helping mining. It's also a means to enhancing waste remediation processes, usually hydrocarbon waste. It's a good way to study the measures of the stress in the earth for scientist. It's also used for heat extraction to produce electricity in an enhanced geothermal systems. It's also helps create a lot of new jobs for Americans blue collar work. Now that I told you the goods, let me talk about the bads: there been a lot of the potential mishandling of volatile organic compounds (VOCS) waste such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene, and the health effects of these VOCS has cause health effects such as neurological problems, birth defects, and cancer to people. Other health effects cause by VOCS are lung function, increase respiratory illness, and is particularly dangerous to lung development in children in which the movie talks about. One big problem is bacteria, anaerobic iron and sulfate degrading bacteria rapidly proliferate in the fracturing fluids, causing corrosion of the pipes and clogging of the proppants in some example scenes. Inevitably biocides had to be included in the fracturing fluid to inhibit bacterial growth to keep the gas flowing. However, in recent years, there has been a tremendous public concern about the environmental impact associated with hydraulic fracturing and, in particular, the possible contamination of the aquifer and nearby streams by biocides and other chemicals present in the fracturing fluid. This triggered the frantic search for more environmentally benign options to keep anaerobic organisms from proliferating, despite the insistence of the oil industry that the technology is safe. This was the purpose of this film. Fox traveled across the nation and through the gas patches in his old car with nothing but his curiosity and a camera. Throughout the documentary, Fox reached out to scientists, politicians and gas industry executives and ultimately found himself in the halls of Congress to debate about this. Still, Gasland contains a lot of misinformation and misrepresentation about the natural gas industry. I wish the movie try more to explain if fracking has been known to cause earthquakes. Earthquakes induced by human activity cause of which was injection of fluids into deep wells for waste disposal and secondary recovery of oil, and the use of reservoirs for water supplies in documented locations in US, Japan and Canada. I neither relish the idea is that fracking is all bad, cause it's isn't, but it's not environmental safe. The bad outdoes the goods. An alternative technology needs to be developed as soon as possible to solve this environmental concern. Technological advances often times are not at the same pace with the response necessary to negate environmental issues that result from catastrophic failure or unforeseen damage. The case in point is the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We cannot have another BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster. Work on developing coatings containing covalently bound selenium to help stop contaminations. It's need money and time- so oil companies do your part to save the environment, don't take the cheap way out. Still, Gasland is an entertaining, high energy piece of art that will make you laugh and leave you terrified. If this film doesn't make you think about the future and motivate you to action, check your pulse.