Researchers link radioactive contamination to oil and gas wastewater in Pennsylvania
Freshwater mussels in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny River show elevated radium levels, traced to oil and gas wastewater discharge, raising concerns about impacts on the food chain.
Kiley Bense reports for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- Scientists found high radium concentrations in mussels and sediment downstream from a fracking wastewater discharge point, despite the facility no longer releasing waste.
- Mussels' radioactive contamination poses risks to species that consume them, including muskrats and bald eagles, with potential long-term ecosystem effects.
- Radioactive fracking waste persists in riverbeds, even years after discharges ceased, complicating waterway health recovery efforts.
Key quote:
"We know that radioactivity sticks around in the soft tissue of these mussels. It’s consumed by others. Where it goes from there, we don’t really know.”
— Nathaniel Warner, co-author of the study and associate professor of environmental engineering at Penn State University
Why this matters:
Radium-contaminated ecosystems can affect multiple species through bioaccumulation, including top predators and humans who rely on the waterway. With freshwater mussels already declining from pollution, this contamination adds to ecosystem strain.
Related EHN coverage: Fracking chemicals dumped in the Allegheny River a decade ago are still showing up in mussels: Study
