Don't Pump Arsenic into Africa, Shell NO TO FRACKING

These words below are not my own. They are words of someone who is living through the disastrous consequences of arsenic, benzene and other chemicals being pumped into their water and air due to Shell's fracking process. Every study, and every report I have read is similar. The full impact will only be realised once Shell and their service company have made their millions and paid off politicians. Please do not support Shell, who already have a shocking track record. Send on this message: "South Africa, you need to fight this with all you're worth. I live in Pennsylvania in the United States in the heart of the Marcellus Shale region - a shale basin touted as one of the largest, if not THE largest shale area in the world. They've been fracking here for several years. Our municipal water supplies have been contaminated, our private water wells have been contaminated. On top of this, our AIR has been contaminated. This process involves far more than just a drilling rig and a flare stack. This involves 3-5 million gallons of water PER WELL, and most of that never comes back up to the surface. Of the water that does, it is contaminated with toxic chemicals as well as brine, heavy metals and radioactivity from the shale layer. Our water treatment plants can't treat this so they're diluting it with more fresh water and releasing it into our streams and rivers - where our municipal water supply is drawn from. This process also involves air pollution. There are flare stacks, where the excess gas is burned off. There are compressor stations to push the gas through the pipelines. There are giant 6-8 acre pits of toxic wastewater. All of these things off-gas enormous amounts of chemicals like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and formaldehyde, to name a few. There are already people who have tested positive for these and other chemicals as well as heavy metals in their blood. Animals have died horrible deaths. People are sick. Children are especially vulnerable to these chemicals because they are still developing. The gas industry lies and lies and lies, while we are suffering. Our state and local governments are very corrupt and many of our politicians were put into power by the massive campaign funding from the gas industry. Now the politicians dance to the industry's tune. South Africa, FIGHT THIS!! YOUR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF YOUR CHILDREN DEPEND ON IT!!" Jerry Picson on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 at 03:25 DO NOT FILL UP AT SHELL.