The state Department of Environmental Protection has announced a yearlong study of radiation levels in equipment and wastes associated with oil and gas development it says will be the "most extensive and comprehensive" ever conducted.
The regulatory agency announced the study Thursday and said it will test radiation levels at dozens of well pads, wastewater treatment and waste disposal facilities statewide.
Oil and gas-bearing rock formations like the Marcellus Shale contain naturally occurring radiation that is brought to the surface in wastewater and rock waste and can concentrate on pipes or equipment.
The department said current data show "very low levels of natural radioactivity" and "do not indicate the public or workers face any health risk from exposure to radiation from these materials."
Less than half a percent of the Marcellus Shale rock waste taken to state landfills in 2012 triggered radiation monitors, DEP said, and tests in 2011 of rivers and drinking water intakes downstream of facilities that once treated and discharged Marcellus Shale wastewater found that any detected radiation was below safe drinking water standards.
The study "is aimed at ensuring that public health and the environment continue to be protected," the agency said.