People Who Live Near Fracking More Likely to Become Sick, Largest Study of Its Kind Finds - weather.com

Uh, for some odd reason I am fascinated more by the attached picture than the information in the article. Being that I live in Marcellus Shale country and the area I am at has seen a recent increase in activity (3 new wells currently being worked for a total of 5, if I remember correctly), I wonder what one would see from above. Being that we are very rural and in "mountain" country, I don't think it would look as horrid as what is pictured here. Still it does make one wonder.

One caveat to keep in mind in regards to this study, and it is a point the article stresses as well, this is self-reported health data.Another point, is there are two diametrically opposed views as to the significance.

"We got interested in this issue because there were concerns that had been brought up about people complaining of some health symptoms when living near natural gas drilling or extraction facilities," he said. "At the time we started this study, most of these reports were really just that: isolated case reports of a handful of individuals."
,,,
Although the new data has its limits, as any study that relies on self-reported health information does, it's an important first step toward a better public understanding of the health risks associated with fracking, the authors said. "[The study] does not prove that fracking is causing these health conditions, but in our mind it really reinforces the need for more research about the potential health impacts of natural extraction," Dr. Rabinowitz explained. The study is published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Versus,,,

Travis Windle, a spokesman for Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale Coalition, said the Yale study was “done in partnership with a local activist group, and was designed to put selective and unproven data behind a pre-determined and biased narrative," The Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported. Also on Wednesday, a Penn State study funded by industry groups found the practice to be safe, saying fracking water remains deep underground away from any groundwater supplies.

Now I may be wrong in this assumption but the arguments appear to be coming down to ideologies, as the science just isn't quite there yet for what ever reason. Unlike GMOs where they have 20+ years of science backing claims of safety, fracking doesn't appear to have that strength. (Also note, I am much more informed concerning GMOs than I am fracking so I may be missing pieces of the puzzle. It is something I am trying to "correct" and it is something y'all will be learning with me.)


People Who Live Near Fracking More Likely to Become Sick, Largest Study of Its Kind Finds - weather.com