Mar 30, 2018 4 min read

The dangers of fracking are well-documented from more than a decade of peer-reviewed scientific studies. The process pollutes groundwater and leaks methane – one of the most powerful greenhouse gases contributing to climate change – into the environment.

As a pediatrician, I also see firsthand the negative health effects of these emissions. Volatile organic compounds, which leak alongside methane from every point of natural gas infrastructure, contribute to ground-level ozone – the main component of smog. Smog affects every human’s lung function, increases the frequency of asthma attacks, aggravates bronchitis and emphysema, inhibits early childhood lung growth, and is linked to long-term lung damage, increased hospital admissions and heart failure. In addition, the VOC benzene is a known human carcinogen associated with childhood leukemia, lymphoma and liver cancer. Symptoms of benzene exposure can include eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation along with drowsiness, dizziness and headaches.

A recent study from Princeton University underscores and affirms another devastating association with pollution from fracking found in several previous studies: low birth weights in newborn infants. The researchers found babies born to mothers living less than a mile from hydraulic fracturing wells were 25 percent more likely to weigh less than 5.5 pounds at birth. These results from the first large-scale study of its kind should be a wake-up call to Gov. Wolf, the Department of Environmental Protection and every Pennsylvanian. We must do more to control the pollution leaking from natural gas sites throughout the state.

Low birth weight can create immediate dangers and lifelong challenges for a child, from increased rates of infant mortality, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and learning differences to a greater likelihood of dropping out of high school and having dismal employment opportunities. Life may be harder for these children simply because they lived near natural gas infrastructure.

Unlike other states that have concluded that fracking is too great a public health and environmental hazard, Pennsylvania has not banned fracking, in spite of a call from the state’s medical society representing thousands of doctors to do just that. Pennsylvanians shouldn’t have to decide between preserving the health of our communities and environment, and short-term financial gain. Pennsylvania’s children don’t have a say in such policy decisions, but they do deserve strong health protections.

Late last year, the Department of Environmental Protection issued a final draft of permits to control methane emissions at modified and new natural gas operations. This is an important step in an ongoing effort to lessen the damage to health that fracking and other natural gas development causes in our communities. It also brings the governor closer to fulfilling an outstanding campaign promise.

But during his campaign nearly four years ago, Wolf also promised to control methane pollution from existing natural gas infrastructure. The Princeton study highlights just how vital those controls are. Wolf has taken steps to outline the scope of what these air pollution standards could look like, but unfortunately, the proposal does not currently include a plan to control methane. This omission risks leaving a significant amount of pollution from existing natural gas sources uncontrolled.

Newborn children are our most vulnerable population. They are highly vulnerable to environmental hazards, and can’t yet raise their voices to fight for basic environmental protections. That’s why it’s up to us. We must advocate for the next generation, and for families who are forced to deal with circumstances beyond their control in their own backyards. We must call for Wolf to enact the strong methane pollution controls he promised during his campaign. Pennsylvania’s children can’t afford to wait any longer.

Edward C. Ketyer is a pediatrician and lives in Venetia.