People who live in areas near hydraulic fracturing activities (fracking) are more at risk of suffering severe health issues, experts from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Columbia report in research published in the journal PLOS One.
In their study, the authors explained that unconventional gas and oil drilling (UGOD) such as the process known as “fracking” has increased significantly in the US over the past decade. However the potential health consequences of exposure of fracking-related toxins remained unclear.
They analyzed the association between UGOD drilling wells and healthcare use in Pennsylvania between the years 2007 and 2011. According to Pulse Headlines, the researchers analyzed nearly 200,000 hospitalization records in three northern counties and categorizing 25 different medical scenarios, then associating each case with the proximity to a fracking region.
They found a “significant” association between increase in cardiology inpatient prevalence rates and the number of UGOD wells per zip code and wells per square kilometer, as well as increased neurology inpatient prevalence rates with well per square kilometer, the researchers said. Overall they found that more hospitalizations took place in areas where fracking occurs.
Clinical significance of the findings remains unclear
They also found a link between well density and inpatient prevalence rates for the categories of dermatology, neurology, oncology, and urology. The data, the authors explained, appears to indicate that fracking wells may be “associated with increased inpatient prevalence rates within specific medical categories in Pennsylvania.”
Specifically, according to Pulse Headlines, they found that there were 18 zip code regions with a well density higher than 0.79 wells per square kilometer, meaning that individuals living in those areas have a 27 percent increased risk of suffering from serious health issues such as cancer, heart disease and/or neurological conditions.
“We posit that larger numbers of active hydraulic fracturing wells would increase inpatient prevalence rates over time due in part to increases in potential toxicant exposure and stress responses in residents evoked by increases in the hydraulic fracturing work force and diesel engine use,” the authors wrote, admitting that the short observation period “may limit our ability to discern a direct impact on health in the surrounding community.”
“We examined over 95,000 inpatient records, and thus our study, to our knowledge, represents the most comprehensive one to date to address the health impact of UGOD,” they added. “While the clinical significance of the association remains to be shown… observing a significant association over this short time is remarkable. Further studies are warranted to compare toxicant exposure to number of wells and inpatient and outpatient studies.”
—–
Image Credit: Joshua Doubek
Follow redOrbit on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest.
Comments