OP-ED: Pennsylvania needs to do more to defend public from shale gas health impacts
Three recent University of Pittsburgh studies focused on health impacts for people who live near shale gas operations, sometimes called fracking. These studies showed, once again, that Pennsylvania must do more to defend the health of residents in our region.
As a project coordinator for the Environmental Health Project, I can say with certainty that these studies reinforce the scientific consensus that shale gas development is unsafe, especially for vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, pregnant individuals, and those with existing health conditions. Health impacts include a higher risk of asthma and other respiratory illnesses, heart disease and heart attacks, birth defects and pre-term deliveries, mental health issues, and cancer, among others.
To date, Pennsylvania’s governing bodies have failed to respond in a meaningful way to the health harms associated with shale gas development. Given the findings of these new studies, Gov. Josh Shapiro and other leaders must publicly acknowledge the health harms associated with shale gas and commit to supporting, at a minimum, the recommendations put forth by the 43rd Statewide Grand Jury investigating the shale gas industry.
More specifically, protective buffers – setbacks – between shale gas operations and occupied buildings should be expanded, with no exemptions for any reason. Also, prior to permitting new infrastructure, aggregate emissions – all sources of air pollution in a given area – should be analyzed to limit shale gas development in airsheds that are already burdened with pollution.
Additionally, the legislature must fully fund the Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Protection so that they can do their job of preserving Pennsylvania’s resources and protecting the health of residents.
Finally, shale gas operators must be held accountable for leaking toxic pollution that harms residents and hastens climate change. Operators must be compelled to publicly disclose all chemicals they intend to use on-site. Pennsylvania must also close hazardous waste loopholes and require safer transport of the contaminated waste created from fracking sites.
Contact your Pennsylvania representatives and Shapiro to urge action on these measures. Doing so will help to ensure that people living in Southwestern Pennsylvania will breathe healthier air, drink purer water, and eat food grown in cleaner soil. This will mean hospital visits and outpatient procedures related to impacts from shale gas development will be fewer, saving health care costs in the long run.
Aaron Makatura is a project coordinator for the Environmental Health Project.