Application Note 10405: Rapid and Reliable Detection of Dissolved Gases in Water demonstrates the power of this method to detect various levels of dissolved gases in water samples, making it an excellent option for testing possible impacts of hydraulic fracturing on the environment.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a well-stimulation technique in which water is typically mixed with sand and chemicals and injected at high pressure into a wellbore to create small fractures to maximize oil or natural gas extraction. However, the gases liberated by fracking may contaminate water reservoirs and have become a controversial environmental and health matter. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has performed several studies on the quality of well water in states where hydraulic fracturing is used.