Thomas W. Pearson

Anthropology Magazine

Communities Grapple With Exposure to “Forever Chemicals”

A Daughter’s Disability and a Father’s Awakening

$Highly pure silica sand is used in hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas extraction in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Wyoming, and North Dakota, among other states. Along with water and various chemicals, the sand is injected deep underground, where it props open tiny fractures in bedrock formations to allow for the release of hydrocarbons. With its round and smooth granules, frac sand is extremely strong and durable, and resists being crushed under high pressure.$

How Fracking’s Appetite for Sand Is Devouring Rural Communities

Field Notes