THE CASE AGAINST HYDROFRACKING - Hydrofracking: What Everyone Needs to Know - page 68

Is Anyone Studying How Hydrofracking Impacts Animal and
Human Health?
A 2012 study by a team of researchers at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine
suggests that hydraulic fracturing has sickened or killed cows, horses, goats, lla-
mas, chickens, dogs, cats, fish, and other animals. 94 The authors looked at 24
case studies in six shale-rich states and found that hundreds of cows in Colorado,
Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas died or gave birth to stillborn
babies after being exposed to hydrofracking fluids. This is the first, and so far only,
peer-reviewed report to suggest such a link.
The study noted that it was difficult to assess health impacts because of the
Halliburton Loophole. The researchers recommended that all hydraulic fracturing
fluids be disclosed; that animals—and their milk, cheese, eggs, and other
products—near wells be tested; that water, soil, and air be monitored before and
after drilling begins; and that nondisclosure agreements be limited.
Questions about fracking's impact on human health are even more controver-
sial. A number of doctors and academics have expressed concern about potential
long- and short-term health risks from gas production. While the EPA investigation
of hydrofracking's impact on drinking water is a good start, they argue, broader
studies on its effects on people are necessary. The idea is to bring academic rigor
to the often emotional debate.
Researchers at Harvard are building a mapping tool to correlate gas-drilling op-
erations with reports of nausea, headaches, and respiratory ailments. And a team of
toxicologists from the University of Pennsylvania have organized researches from
17 institutions to review cases of sickness from people who live near drill pads,
compressor stations, or wastewater ponds. 95 The study will consider the toxicity of
flowback wastewater; whether air quality is dangerously impacted by flaring gases;
and whether industry's reliance on diesel fuel to power drills, compressors, and
trucks creates an unhealthy environment. The first project surveyed Pennsylvania
residents who live in the Marcellus Shale region about health symptoms. Future
projects include assessing the health of people living in the Barnett Shale region
of Texas, and an examination of how state gas-drilling laws impact public health
issues.