The chemicals we found in the air and water—and inside of people's bodies—are linked to a wide range of harmful health impacts, from skin and respiratory irritation to organ damage and increased cancer risk.
But these stories are about more than a list of hard-to-pronounce chemicals. They're about a single father on disability who fears these exposures are causing his son's illness but can't afford to move; a family that did move to escape a school surrounded by well pads, but found themselves living next to a new set of wells and still being exposed; and quiet rural lifestyles once defined by idyllic farms, rolling hills, and fresh air now overwhelmed by heavy truck traffic, heavy industry, and communities at odds over whether to protest that loss or try and cash in by leasing their mineral rights.
Far-reaching impacts
In the U.S., fracking has become a flashpoint in national debates about climate change and America's energy future. In Pennsylvania, study after study after study has found that state lawmakers who support pro-fracking legislation have received vast amounts of money from the industry, while polls show that a majority of Pennsylvania residents oppose fracking. Meanwhile, financial analysts fret about the industry's massive debt overhang and uncertain future, especially post-COVID-19.
While financial analysts, policymakers, and massive corporations squabble over the finer points of the fracking debate, families living amidst the wells day in and day out live in constant fear about what the industry might cost them—if they had another child, would they need to worry about birth defects? Are these exposures increasing their kids' cancer risk? Would it be safer to move to a place far away from all of this, even if it would also mean being far from their extended families, friends, and communities? And even if they could move, how far would they have to go to feel safe?
EHN's analysis also found unexpected exposures even in families that live further away from fracking wells in Westmoreland County, proving that in southwestern Pennsylvania, we really are all sharing the same airshed—and that exposure impacts from the oil and gas industry's emissions likely extend far beyond just the people living right next door to well pads.
Environmental Health News is an award-winning nonpartisan organization dedicated to driving science into public discussion and policy. Read the 4-part series below, and listen to an interview with reporter Kristina Marusic about the science and investigation.
Follow the fallout from this investigation on Twitter at the hashtag: #FracturedUSA
###
Part 1: Harmful chemicals and unknowns haunt Pennsylvanians surrounded by fracking
fracking family exposure
Our urine tests of five families in and near fracking country found biomarkers for hazardous fracking chemicals in children at levels far higher than those seen in the average American.
Part 2: The stress of being surrounded
fracking pollution mental health
The pervasiveness of the industry in rural America leads to mental health issues including anxiety and depression among residents, and opens hard-to-heal rifts in communities.
Part 3: Distrustful of frackers, abandoned by regulators
fracking mental health toll
Distrustful of doctors, fracking companies and state agencies, residents are getting few answers to their pleas for help.
Part 4: Buffered from fracking but still battling pollution
fracking pollution monitoring
Activists dedicated to keeping fracking wells out of their small township have been successful so far, but oil and gas pollution is encroaching as a dense network of oil and gas pipelines and infrastructure grows more pervasive.
LEARN: More about how we conducted our study.
fracking pollution monitoring
A rundown of our data and methods.
LISTEN: Kristina Marusic discusses the "Fractured" investigation
fracking childrens health
The story behind "Fractured," an investigation of fracking pollution in western Pennsylvania.
Continuing coverage
Fractured: Readers respond on fracking reporting
Our 'Fractured' investigation found disturbing evidence of fracking pollution leaching into our bodies. Readers responded.
Pennsylvania lawmakers urge Gov. Wolf to protect residents following EHN fracking investigation
The letter, signed by 35 state representatives and senators, points to Environmental Health News testing that found harmful chemical exposures in Pennsylvania families.
The political, media, and community response to our Fractured investigation
From a media blitz to calls for statewide drilling bans, here's a look at the fallout and impacts so far from EHN's investigation of western Pennsylvania fracking impacts.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fractured: What to do, who to call, how to push for change.
Have you been impacted by fracking? We want to hear from you. Fill out our fracking impact survey and we'll be in touch.
Banner photo: Two of the children involved in EHN's study participate in a 2019 youth climate change protest in downtown Pittsburgh. (Credit: Connor Mulvaney for Environmental Health News)
Fractured: Readers respond on fracking report - EHN ›
... continued from previous page
49