Fracking effects hidden from the public?
In the US, concern is mounting over the effect of ‘fracking’ (hydraulic fracturing) for gas trapped deep below the earth. Follow this link, provided on December 12th by the American site, Truth out, to read the results of a recent, in-depth survey on the public health effects of fracking:
People who live near fracking operations are developing health problems they did not have before. They report dizziness, trembling of the limbs and irritation of the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. The closer they live to drilling operations, the worse the symptoms become. Over half of the children living within 1,500 feet of facilities (56%) reported nosebleeds, and the survey reports an average of 19 health symptoms not found in healthy children. 80% of respondents complained of the bad smells coming from the drilling sites, and were concerned that the chemicals used in fracking, like benzene and volatile organic compounds, could be causing serious health problems. This is being firmly denied by the authorities, despite some unexplained events.
In May 2012, the Cornerstone Care community clinic in Pennsylvania’s Washington County was evacuated three times because nauseating fumes had filled the clinic for weeks, making both patients and health care workers ill. The building was shut down on May 25th and remained closed until early July. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) decided that the fumes could not be linked to oil and gas drilling – but has refused to hand over 400 pages of raw testing and quality control data to a concerned legal advisor.
State Representative Jesse White filed a Right to Know request for the records to be released, but the DEP said as there was no criminal element in the investigation, they were not obliged to release the 400 pages of raw data. To date, it has still not done so.
It has also withheld results from residents who believe their drinking water is contaminated by fracking. Samples from a Pennsylvania resident’s drinking water were taken to a state lab to determine if the water had been contaminated by nearby fracking activity. The lab tested the water for 24 contaminants as required by federal standards, but the resident received the results for only eight of the tests. Those seeking to identify 16 other contaminants; including boron, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, silicon, lithium and molybdenum were not supplied.
Britain is committed by its Chancellor to an increasing use of fracking as a solution to its need for fuel and power, but this Trojan horse of so-called opportunity may well contain less friendly elements than we suspect. If, as the old saying goes, ‘What America does today, GB does tomorrow,’ has any truth to it, then we need to be extremely careful.
