Drilling activities on fracking sites are very harmful to people, new study indicates.
Based on recent scientific findings, fracking sites increase health risks among nearby inhabitants, researchers have concluded. The study, which was published in the journal PLOS One looked at the hospitalization rates of these individuals and discovered there is a direct link between the health affections they have had and their close vicinity to fracking sites.
Construction sites have frequently been linked to various health diseases and affections, but scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences conducted their scientific quest with the sole purpose of identifying the negative effects of fracking sites on nearby inhabitants.
For the current research, experts have looked into the medical records of Bradford and Susquehanna residents, more specifically at their 198,000 cases of hospitalization. Statistics registered in the study period between 2007 and 2011 indicated scientists that residents were more likely to get hospitalized as a result of the chemicals released by the fracking sites.
The registered data has further revealed that people who live in these areas are more likely to suffer from heart problems, neurological affections and degenerative disorders. However, skin problems, malignancies and urological illnesses are also frequent diseases affecting these individuals, the study has further indicated.
Researchers have looked deeper into the problem to identify possible factors leading to these health risks. According to their official explanation, the chemicals that are normally pumped into the ground to favor gas release, as well as the gas itself, is the main culprit for many of the illnesses that residents develop.
By comparing the 2007-2011 data, scientists have estimated that residents in Bradford and Susquehanna had 27 percent more hospitalization rates than their neighbors in the surrounding areas. While this finding needs to be further proven by additional studies, experts still think the high hospitalization rates are evidence enough for the noxious influence that fracking sites could have on people.
Further studies should observe the health condition of employees who carry out drilling activities on the said sites. If their health condition has not been in any way damaged by their fracking-related work, there might be another explanation for the high hospitalization rates among residents of the Bradford and Susquehanna counties.
Image source: medicaldaily.com
Tara Hamilton
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