Fracking Linked to Cancer, Asthma, and Prenatal Problems, Study Finds

A new study from the University of Pittsburgh has found a correlation between hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and certain adverse health outcomes, including childhood lymphoma, asthma, and birth complications.

The three-year study commissioned by former Gov. Tom Wolf and funded by $2.5 million from the Pennsylvania Department of Health utilized health data from across southwestern Pennsylvania, which has most of the state’s nearly 219,000 active fracking wells.

Since former Gov. Ed Rendell opened state-owned lands for drilling, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania has generated over $1 billion in revenue from fracking, which involves horizontal drilling into shale rock and pumping in water to extract natural gas.

Researchers found that “children who lived within one mile of one or more wells had a 5 to 7 times chance of developing lymphoma,” which is a cancer that originates in the lymphatic system. The risk of children contracting the disease, however, is tremendously small, with children living near fracking sites at a 0.006% risk compared to the 0.0012% risk in the general youth population. (Read more from “Fracking Linked to Cancer, Asthma, and Prenatal Problems, Study Finds” HERE)

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