The bromides themselves are not a public health risk - they account for a tiny part of the salty dissolved solids that create an unpleasant taste in water at elevated levels.  ...But bromides react with the chlorine disinfectants used by drinking water to form brominated trihalomethanes (THMs), a volatile organic compound.

Campaigners who fight natural gas altogether, ...had better come up with a real-world game plan for fostering human progress while limiting environmental risks.