Be warned: Living near fracking sites may up asthma risk by four times | Health - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Be warned: Living near fracking sites may up asthma risk by four times

AFP | By, Miami
Jul 19, 2016 09:43 AM IST

According to a US study published on Monday, living near sites that extract natural gas by hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, may increase the risk of asthma up to four times.

You may want to consider carefully the area you want to live in, considering its long-lasting impact on you and your family’s health.

People who live closer to a large number or bigger active natural gas wells are significantly more likely — 1.5 to four times more — to suffer asthma attacks, say researchers.(Shutterstock)
People who live closer to a large number or bigger active natural gas wells are significantly more likely — 1.5 to four times more — to suffer asthma attacks, say researchers.(Shutterstock)

According to a US study published on Monday, living near sites that extract natural gas by hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, may increase the risk of asthma up to four times.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine, are based on research examining health records collected from 2005 to 2012 in the northeastern state of Pennsylvania.

Read: India and the US can build energy synergy

The researchers found more than 35,000 asthma patients aged from five to 90.

Most asthma attacks they suffered — nearly 21,000 in all — were mild, requiring a corticosteroid prescription.

Another 4,782 severe attacks required hospitalization and 1,870 moderate ones prompted emergency room visits.

Asthma is a chronic disease that can be made worse by outdoor air pollution, stress and sleep disruption. (Shutterstock)
Asthma is a chronic disease that can be made worse by outdoor air pollution, stress and sleep disruption. (Shutterstock)

The researchers mapped where the patients lived, together with the location, size and number of natural gas operations, and compared them to asthma patients who suffered no attacks during the same year.

“Those who lived closer to a large number or bigger active natural gas wells were significantly more likely — 1.5 to four times more likely — to suffer asthma attacks,” the study said.

The findings held up even when the researchers accounted for other factors that can exacerbate asthma, such as living near main roads, having a family history of asthma, and smoking, they said.

Read: Stigma deters asthmatics from using inhalers, say doctors

However, the study uncovered only an association between fracking and asthma, and did not prove any link or explain why asthma may be more common.

“Ours is the first to look at asthma but we now have several studies suggesting adverse health outcomes related to the drilling of unconventional natural gas wells,” said lead researcher Sara Rasmussen of the Bloomberg School’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.

“Going forward, we need to focus on the exact reasons why these things are happening because if we know why, we can help make the industry safer.”

Air quality concerns

The growth of Pennsylvania’s fracking operations — with more than 6,000 wells developed in the past decade — has raised concerns about effects on air and water quality.

Asthma is a chronic disease that can be made worse by outdoor air pollution, stress and sleep disruption — all of which have been linked to unconventional natural gas development in previous studies.

Read: Half of world’s 20 most polluted cities in India, Delhi in 11th position

The Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group, pointed to the researchers’ failure to prove cause and effect, and asked why the study did not look at earlier years, before the rise in natural gas operations, for comparison.

“It’s also striking that the authors failed to provide comparative data from, say, eight years or so prior to shale development emerging in the region,” said spokeswoman Erica Clayton Wright.

The process of extracting natural gas by hydraulic fracturing, which is also known as fracking, poisons the environment, and has met with protests across the world. (Shutterstock)
The process of extracting natural gas by hydraulic fracturing, which is also known as fracking, poisons the environment, and has met with protests across the world. (Shutterstock)

The study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Senior author Brian Schwartz, a professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Bloomberg School, disclosed that he is an unpaid fellow at the Post-Carbon Institute, a renewable energy think-tank.

However, he insisted that the JAMA study “is entirely independent of PCI and is not motivated, reviewed or funded” by the think-tank.

Read: Regional plan needed to tackle air pollution, say experts

“We are concerned with the growing number of studies that have observed health effects associated with this industry,” said Schwartz.

“We believe it is time to take a more cautious approach to well development with an eye on environmental and public health impacts.”

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.

Explore the art deco structures of Mumbai through a heritage walk with HT! Participate now.

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On