LONDON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Available evidence on shale natural gas extraction suggests it poses a low threat to the public if done properly. a Public Health England official said.
"The currently available evidence indicates that the potential risks to public health from exposure to emissions associated with the shale gas extraction process are low if operations are properly run and regulated," John Harrison, the agency's director of envionment hazards, said in a statement Thursday.
PHE is an executive agency within the British Department of Health.
PHE published a 46-page draft report on the potential dangers associated with the extraction of natural gas from shale formations.
The controversial drilling practice, dubbed fracking, is viewed by critics as a danger to public health because of harmful chemicals used in the process.
The report said the threat to groundwater from the drilling practice is minimal. It said surface spills may pose a threat but any problems from that are likely the result of operational failure or poor regulation, not the drilling practice itself.
The report said shale gas extraction in the United Kingdom is in its infancy.
A government report in June said shale could ensure energy security for a country where net natural gas imports are on pace to increase from 45 percent of demand in 2011 to 76 percent by 2030.
