E.P.A. Approved Toxic Chemicals for Fracking a Decade Ago, New Files Show

In 2011 the EPA approved the use of PFAS, a class of toxic chemicals now known to cause serious illnesses such as cancer, in drilling and fracking activities. These chemicals were approved despite serious concerns within the EPA over their toxicity and for the past decade, they have been in widespread use in oil and gas operations. After approval, regulation of these chemicals became lax despite major concerns from the scientific community and use of these chemicals has been widespread and poorly regulated ever since.