Judy Eckert holding water contaminated with arsenic
drawn from her private well. In 2007 Guardian Exploration drilled and fracked a
Marcellus well 450ft from her home, which she believes is part of the cause of
her contaminated her water supply. In 2010 DEP found a waste pit buried
illegally into her season high water table. To learn more about her case you
can donate to receive a copy of Triple Divide — a Public Herald documentary on
fracking. - courtesy J.B.Pribanic
Forbes
By Judy Stone , CONTRIBUTOR
FEB. 23, 2017
Fracking, or drilling for gas by hydraulic fracturing,
has been associated with a growing number of health risks. Last week, I began
this series looking at some of the hazardous chemicals injected into the wells
to make drilling easier and cheaper, and the growing risks to our health by the
GOP rushing through the approval of Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
This post looks in greater depth at the health
problems linked to fracking. These are not hypothetical concerns—there are now
more than 700 studies looking at risks—and more than 80% of the health studies document
risks or actual harms.
It’s also important to note that these risks are
likely to be seriously underestimated, because the environmental agencies have
been downplaying the risks to the public. A new in-depth exposé from
investigative journalists at Public Herald looks in-depth at the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) misconduct and negligence, as
the DEP studiously ignored citizens’ complaints, sometimes not even testing
water samples. Earlier studies from ProPublica and others showed similar EPA
failures in the western U.S.
A variety of health problems are
associated with fracking
Respiratory problems:
Cough, shortness of breath and wheezing are the most
common complaints of residents living near fracked wells. Toxic gases like
benzene are released from the rock by fracking. Similarly, a toxic waste brew
of water and chemicals is often stored in open pits, releasing volatile organic
compounds into the air. These noxious chemicals and particulates are also
released by the diesel powered pumps used to inject the water. An
epidemiological study of more than 400,000 patients of Pennsylvania’s Geisinger
clinic, done with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, found a significant
association between fracking and increases in mild, moderate and severe cases
of asthma (odds ratios 4.4 to 1.5). Hopkins’ Dr. Brian Schwartz cautions that
residents should be aware of this hazard as “some ‘pristine’ rural areas are
converted to heavily trafficked industrial areas.”
Problems during pregnancy:
Fracking chemicals are harmful to pregnant women and
their developing babies. West Virginia researchers found endocrine-disrupting
chemicals in surface waters near wastewater disposal sites; these types of
chemicals can hurt the developing fetus even when present at very low concentrations.
Another Hopkins/Geisinger study looked at records of
almost 11,000 women with newborns who lived near fracking sites and found a 40%
increased chance of having a premature baby and a 30% risk of having the
pregnancy be classified as “high-risk,” though they controlled for
socioeconomic status and other risk factors. Contributing factors likely
include air and water pollution, stress from the noise and traffic (1,000
tankers/well on average)….
To access the complete news,
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario