“A study of birth records found newborns living within 3 kilometers of fracking sites were less healthy than those born farther away, and those within 1 kilometer saw the largest effects,” reports Inside Climate News. They examined records of infants born before & after the fracking boom to the same mother, finding higher incidence of negative effects on post-fracking births. Babies born at a low birth weight face longterm risks including “infant mortality, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma, lower test scores, lower schooling attainment, lower earnings and higher rates of social welfare program participation.”
The study in Science Advocate shows that impacts could come from air, water, and/or stress. Stress is pernicious. As one author said, “[I]f you’re afraid, fear can have a health effect even if what you’re afraid of doesn’t—though I’m not saying there isn’t.” People break down when fracking operations occupy their lives. However, the authors suspect air pollution is the main culprit because of concentration of chemicals (VOCs, etc) near sites & the diffusion away from them. Nevertheless, it’s no way to live.
These findings matter for policy & law. Citing fracking facilities in poor communities creates vicious cycles that current policies are likely to make worse.
Pollution + Stress – Heathcare – Education – Safety net
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More poverty & social corrosion
The system has been rigged so that 29,000 children a year are at elevated risks for what? The profits of fossil fuel shareholders, CEOs, & so-called “energy dominance.” Meanwhile, poor rural communities have little recourse from Republican and Democratic gubernatorial administrations (I’m looking at you Tom Wolf). But it’s made even worse because schools and social safety nets are being undermined by the Republican Party, hitting these communities two or three times over.
Peter Walks for Democracy 