Aug 30, 2023 2 min read

We need to ban fracking

A new study from the University of Pittsburgh has confirmed what we’ve long feared. The study states that the presence of the fracking industry in Southwest Pennsylvania poses major health risks to nearby residents. Researchers found that children living near shale gas activities had a higher risk of developing asthma, lymphoma, and other chronic illnesses. In addition, people with asthma had a five-times greater chance of having an asthma attack if they lived within 10 miles of an active well.

These studies reinforce the fact that fracking creates long-term negative health effects. What’s worse, the findings may be just the “tip of the toxic iceberg and we are only just beginning to understand what is out there,” according to Raina Rippel, the former director of the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project.

With even more evidence that fracking is killing and endangering Pennsylvanians, we need to encourage state leaders to ban fracking in the commonwealth to protect the lives of our fellow citizens. As we work toward that long-term goal, officials can start by protecting Pennsylvanians by keeping fracking farther from schools and homes and closing loopholes excluding radioactive fracking waste from hazardous materials laws.

Jonathan Izzo

Pittsburgh