Adverse Health Impacts of Gas Fracking Revealed
Johns Hopkins Study
A new study out today from Johns Hopkins in Environmental Health Perspectives revealed associations between fracking and various health symptoms including nasal and sinus problems, migraines and fatigue in Pennsylvanians living near areas of natural gas development.
The study suggests that residents with the highest exposure to
active fracking wells are nearly twice as likely to suffer from the
symptoms.
This is the third study released by Hopkins in the past year that
connects proximity to fracking sites with adverse health outcomes. Last
fall, researchers found an association between fracking
and
premature births and high-risk pregnancies, and last month, found ties between
fracking and asthma.
A natural gas rig side by side with homes in Washington County, Pennsylvania.B. Mark Schmerling
What’s more,
a 2014 investigation revealed
how health workers in Pennsylvania were silenced by the state
Department of Health (DOH) and told not to respond to health inquiries
that used certain fracking “buzzwords.”
Documents obtained by Food & Water Watch last
year indicate the DOH was inundated with fracking-related health
concerns ranging from shortness of breath and skin problems to asthma,
nose and throat irritation, which were ignored or pushed aside. While
the industry will no doubt continue to refute the expanding science
about the dangers of fracking, we can’t afford to ignore it. The public
health and climate impacts of extreme fossil fuel extraction requires
bold leadership to keep fossil fuels in the ground and transition
swiftly to
renewable energy.
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