The research study, publicized today among the document PLOS ONE, looked over hospitalization premiums in cities of Pennsylvania from 2007 to 2011 and discovered these items extensively higher in places by having fracking in contrast to everyone without the need for.
Advertisement
“This study captured the collective response of residents to hydraulic fracturing in zip codes within the counties with higher well densities”, said Dr. Reynold Pantettieri Jr., a professor of Medicine and CEET deputy director, in a recent press release.
Meanwhile, researchers revealed the study does not prove hydraulic drilling has caused an increase in medical conditions.
The technique uses a mixture of sand, water and numerous chemicals to break the rocks underground.
Fracking has caused much backlash from local communities for its detrimental impact on the environment and personal health.
The researchers compared the data for two counties, Bradford and Susquehanna, where drilling activities have increased, with the control, Wayne county, where drilling was banned.
What the researchers found was that living in zip codes with a high number of wells led to an increase in people seeking medical treatment for heart problems.
The study analyzed data of 198,000 hospitalizations between the period of 2007 and 2011.
While the research was unable pinpoint a specific reason, it suggests there may be a link between drilling and ill health, researchers said.
Specifically, people living in areas of Bradford and Susquehanna counties with a fracked well density of more than 0.79 wells per square kilometer were 27 percent more likely to be hospitalized for heart problems than people in Wayne County.
According to the researchers, this study should result in further research to find out exactly what pollutants are brought about by fracking, and see how these pollutants or combinations of them may contribute to the increased rates of hospitalization in the hotspot areas.
For example, the raised incidence of cardiology hospitalizations could be related to an increased exposure to air pollution, like diesel exhaust and fine particulate matter.
The study’s findings echo a similar study from the University of Pittsburgh a month ago that linked wells in the southwestern part of the state to an average lower birth weight for babies born to mothers living in areas with abundant fracking wells. “Our findings provide important clues to design epidemiological studies to associate specific toxicant exposures with health end-points”. Geological conditions also vary widely, so a study conducted in southwestern Pennsylvania, where the gas has higher levels of benzene, may not apply to the northeast.
Advertisement
Neurology admissions also increased significantly for zips with more wells.
