Hydraulic fracturing negatively impacts infant health

Map: Locations of births and fractured wells in Pennsylvania. Credit: Currie, Greenstone, Meckel, Sci. Adv. 2017;3: e1603021

From North Dakota to Ohio to Pennsylvania, hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, has transformed small towns into energy powerhouses. While some see the new energy boom as benefiting the local economy and decreasing U.S. reliance on foreign oil, others fear the potential health and environmental consequences that come along with fracking.

Health risks increase for infants born to mothers living within 2 miles of a hydraulic fracturing site, according to a study published Dec. 13 in Science Advances. The research team found that infants born within a half a mile from a fracking site were 25 percent more likely to be born at low birth weights, leaving them at greater risk of infant mortality, ADHD, asthma, lower test scores, lower schooling attainment and lower lifetime earnings.

"Given the growing evidence that pollution affects babies in utero, it should not be surprising that fracking, which is a heavy industrial activity, has negative effects on infants," said co-author Janet M. Currie, the Henry Putnam Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University.

"As local and state policymakers decide whether to allow hydraulic […]

Full article: Hydraulic fracturing negatively impacts infant health

More about how hydraulic fracturing (fracking) affects the water supply:

Intensification of the water footprint of hydraulic fracturing

Penn State study: Spraying brine from drilling, fracking on roadways is hazardous

New study examines impacts of fracking on water supplies worldwide

New Mexico official: Texans are ‘stealing’ water and selling it back for fracking

Final EPA Study Confirms Fracking Contaminates Drinking Water

5 Million Gallons of Freshwater Used to Frack Just One Well