Coal seam gas mining - the unmentioned risks

Coal seam gas mining water pond

When the risks of coal seam gas (CSG) mining are cited, often inadequately, the focus quite correctly is on the use of fracking chemicals and the potential impact on hydrology and water aquifers. However there are other chemical risks, usually ignored, but which are also potentially high level and exceptionally toxic. These are the naturally occurring toxic substances in the geologic strata. Researchers from the University of NSW have pointed out that simply banning fracking chemicals is inadequate  as CSG activities could mobilise a range of other substances and compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) together with chromium, strontium, lead, iron, zinc arsenic, fluoride and selenium, plus potentially promoting bacterial growth. As highlighted in this publicly released research, naturally occurring substances in coal seams include trace elements such as mercury, arsenic, lead and in some location, radioisotopes such as radium, thorium and uranium in small non detectable deposits.

Through CSG mining, these elements can be released into the water system and travel into drinking aquifers and the wider water catchment systems on which both animals and people rely. This is situation which is barely covered in risk and mine management plans showing another large gap in the control of this mining process.