TV News LIES

Friday, Oct 17th

Last update08:09:10 AM GMT

You are here News Environment The Trouble With Health Problems Near Gas Fracking

The Trouble With Health Problems Near Gas Fracking

E-mail Print PDF

Fracking health problemsNobody has systemically tracked how many health complaints there are, whether the complaints are similar, whether they can be tied to any specific chemical exposure or any environmental cause. It makes it very difficult beyond an anecdotal answer to get a handle on how widespread a problem this might be."

Part of the problem, writes Lustgarten, is that "the drilling companies have complicated efforts to gather pollution data and to understand the root of health complaints."

"The Clean Air Act requires reporting of emissions so that the government can collect the [toxic emissions] data from facilities of a certain size," he says. "The oil and gas facilities often fall under that threshold and an exemption allows them not to be aggregated or counted together. Because these facilities are small, there is no obligation to report to federal authorities what pollutants might be emitted from those facilities ... which means there's no information to paint a bigger picture of what communities are dealing with."

In addition, he tells Davies that states and federal agencies do not currently track anecdotal reports from people living close to drilling sites. Without an accurate measure of possible pollutants or contaminants near drilling sites, or a comprehensive database of population-based health data, it's difficult for epidemiologists to establish any link between gas drilling and ill health, says Lustgarten.

"You have to establish that there is a pollutant to be exposed to, that there is a risk to being exposed to that pollutant and then finally that people were exposed to that pollutant," he says. "And to investigate [this] scientifically would require an enormous study with, for example, a control population of people who aren't exposed to any kind of drilling and then people that are and watching them over time, while measuring air pollutants in the air and people's bloodstreams [to] definitively conclude that the specific contaminants from a specific source are the same ones that are making people sick."

More...


Most Recent Related Stories...


Coral reef collapse drives world across first climate tipping point

Coral reef collapseThanks to the dire condition of the Earth's coral reefs, the planet has now reached its...

'An extraordinary legacy': Tributes after chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall dies age 91

Jane Goodall diesDr Jane Goodall, who died today at 91, devoted her life to the study and conservation...

US’s strongest tornado in 12 years rips across North Dakota and kills three

EF5 tornadoA deadly tornado that tore across North Dakota this summer has been upgraded to an EF-5,...

Energy Dept. tells employees not to use words including 'climate change' and 'green'

DOE bans use of workds like climate changeThe Department of Energy has told employees to avoid using certain words, including "climate change," "green"...
 
America's # 1 Enemy
Tee Shirt
& Help Support TvNewsLIES.org!
TVNL Tee Shirt
 
TVNL TOTE BAG
Conserve our Planet
& Help Support TvNewsLIES.org!
 
Get your 9/11 & Media
Deception Dollars
& Help Support TvNewsLIES.org!
 
The Loaded Deck
The First & the Best!
The Media & Bush Admin Exposed!