Research Indicates a Connection Between Children’s Health and Fracking

According to three recent research, there may be a connection between natural gas wells and asthma, cancer, and birth defects. Researchers discovered that children in western Pennsylvania, where natural gas wells are extensively drilled, had an increased risk of developing lymphoma, a rare illness. Low birth weight and severe asthma were associated with a higher risk of lung illness in nearby inhabitants of all ages. The research was done by the University of Pittsburgh. The researchers discovered what they described as strong links between two health issues in children: childhood lymphoma and asthma, and the gas industry practice known as fracking. One type of cancer that is less common in children is lymphoma.

It was unclear to the researchers whether the health issues were brought on by the drilling. That was not the intended purpose of the study. Rather, by examining medical records, the researchers attempted to identify potential associations depending on the proximity of residents to natural gas wells. Gas industry associations claim the studies lacked sufficient data and had flaws. According to the cancer study, children who lived 1.6 kilometers or less near a gas well had a five to seven times higher risk of lymphoma than children who lived 8 kilometers or more away from a well. This translates to between 60 and 84 instances of lymphoma for every million kids who live close to a well. For children residing in more remote areas, the figure is 12 per million.

Researchers discovered that residents with asthma who lived close to wells had a higher risk of experiencing severe symptoms. Researchers did note that there was no obvious correlation between severe reactions and the phases when the well was being built, drilled, and fucked. The method of injecting liquid underground to obtain natural gas is known as fracking. The $2.5 million, four-year study effort is almost over. Families of children with cancer who reside in western Pennsylvania, the location of the country’s largest natural gas resource, put pressure on its establishment. In a highly drilled area south of Pittsburgh, scores of children and young adults had been diagnosed with an extremely uncommon form of bone cancer.