A new study has revealed that fracking wastewater contains compounds that can cause hormone deformities in those that consume it. Researchers say that water from a fracking disposal facility in west Virginia contained high levels of endocrine disruption activity. Environmentalhealthnews.org reports: The study, published today in the journal Science of the Total Environment, adds to evidence that some chemicals in hydraulic fracturing waste are hormone-mimickers or blockers and are leaching out of wastewater disposal wells and into nearby water, potentially impacting fish and human health. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a process that uses horizontal drilling and high volume fluid injections to release oil and gas. Along with water, the injections contain sand and a mix of chemicals—some of which have been linked to cancer, hormone impacts, and reproductive problems. It’s estimated that every well produces more than one million gallons of wastewater, which is eventually pumped into disposal wells. There are an estimated 36,000 fracking disposal sites in the U.S. and little testing has been done on nearby surface water, said lead author Christopher Kassotis, a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University. Kassotis and other university and federal researchers collected water upstream, downstream and around a wastewater facility that has [...]