Fracking poses potential threat to drinking water in Morgantown
Morgantown’s drinking water faces threatening levels of a chemical byproduct from fracking that can cause cancer, experts say.
By itself, bromide, a salt compound that is naturally occurring and also found in discharges from fracking and mining, is of little concern. But when mixed with chlorine, a chemical commonly used to make water safe for drinking, it can become carcinogenic, according to Dr. Alan Ducatman, a professor of public health at West Virginia University.
“Can two things together be more dangerous than either thing alone? The answer is yes,” Ducatman said.