As the debate over the safety of fracking continues between politicians, environmentalists and oil companies, some scientists may have found a way to test the drilling procedure.
Fracking is the process of pumping fluids into the ground at high pressures to extract previously inaccessible natural gas. While some say the drilling method is dangerous and has the potential to contaminate groundwater, the practice is still legal and no reports or studies on the procedure have been conclusive and lawsuits against the practice have been repeatedly thrown out of court.
But scientists like Andrew Barron, a researcher at Rice University in Houston, are working on a means to test fracking by making “tracker” fluids that can be inserted along with the fracking solutions.
