A new report from Physicians for Social Responsibility shows previously unpublicized use of PFAS (“Forever Chemicals”) in fracking in Colorado between 2011 – 2021, but gaps in chemical disclosure rules limit the public’s ability to know full extent of use.

Colorado law currently allows oil and gas companies to withhold fracking chemical identities from the public and from regulators by claiming them as “trade secrets.” As the report documents, companies have utilized that provision thousands of times to avoid disclosing exactly what chemicals they use. This secrecy prevents the public from knowing how widely PFAS – or other toxic chemicals – have been used in oil and gas wells, raising concerns that Coloradans are unknowingly exposed to dangerous hazardous substances.