Yesterday, October 18 2012, Earthworks, ShaleTest, along with LEAN Technical Advisor Wilma Subra, released a report entitled: Gas Patch Roulette, How Shale Gas Development Risks Public Health in Pennsylvania. The report details the results of the largest health survey to date of Marcellus Shale residents living near oil and gas development. The following quote and key findings are excerpts from the press release
issued yesterday.
issued yesterday."The clear association between gas development and public health impacts revealed by this research demands that states stop ignoring the problem and start developing the standards necessary to protect the public," said President of Subra Company and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Wilma Subra. She continued, "It's clear that nationwide, because of regulatory inaction and a lack of corporate accountability, states are playing roulette with public health."
Key findings of the report include:
- Chemicals associated with oil and gas development are present in communities where development occurs.
- Residents in these communities report that after gas development began, they developed new health problems-many of which are known consequences of exposure to these chemicals.
- Those living closer to gas facilities report higher rates of impaired health.
- Children living near gas development reported negative health impacts that seem atypical in the young.
- Chemicals detected by air and water sampling have been associated by state and federal agencies with both oil and gas development and with many of the health symptoms reported in the surveys.
The full report can be viewed on Earthworks website here.
These findings are of particular importance for local residents who face extensive natural gas development surrounding areas such as the Haynesville Shale in Northwest Louisiana and the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale across Central Louisiana.
