An article published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “The Human Toll: Exposure and risks in the gas lands,” is stirring up quite the debate in Pennsylvania. Its release was followed by requests from environmental organizations urging Gov. Tom Wolf to halt new permits for fracking until the state investigates the information included in the report.

“The Human Toll: Exposure and risks in the gas lands” documented at least 46 children in four counties in southwest Pennsylvania, an area heavily impacted by shale gas development over the last decade, who have suffered from rare forms of cancer since 2008. Even more troubling, the report included at least 27 cases of Ewing sarcoma, a form of bone cancer that only affects between 200 and 250 people across the entire country each year.

Although the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s article dances around the idea that the incidence of childhood cancer is linked to the shale oil and gas industry, it lacks the data to make the connection at this time and states: “Research on childhood cancer is just getting underway, and so far no studies have shown a direct link between shale-gas development and rare cancers.”

The environmentalists who’ve spoken out following the release of this report plan to hold a rally today at the Capitol to call for action on their concerns.

Learn more: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette > The Human Toll: Exposure and risks in the gas lands