Study: Children living near Pa. fracking sites face increased risk of leukemia
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health found that children who live close to fracking sites in Pennsylvania have a higher risk for lymphoblastic leukemia — the most common form of childhood cancer, according to State Impact Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Cancer Registry and state data on unconventional oil and gas drill sites were used to determine that children born within two kilometers or 1.24 miles of an active site were two to three times more likely to be diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia from 2 to 7 years old.
The study was published earlier this month in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. It looked at 405 children diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia between 2009 and 2017 and included 2,080 controls matched by birth year. The study also accounted for a variety of socioeconomic, demographic and biological factors that could have impacted the findings.
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.