Another study showing serious frac harm: Women near frac sites 40 per cent more likely to give birth prematurely, and 30 per cent increase in chance that an obstetrician had labeled their pregnancy high-risk

Study: Fracking Industry Wells Associated With Premature Birth NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS INCREASED RISK OF ADVERSE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES CLOSER TO ACTIVE UNCONVENTIONAL NATURAL GAS WELLS Press Release by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, October 8, 2015

Expectant mothers who live near active natural gas wells operated by the fracking industry in Pennsylvania are at an increased risk of giving birth prematurely and for having high-risk pregnancies, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

The findings, published online last week in the journal Epidemiology, shed light on some of the possible adverse health outcomes associated with the fracking industry, which has been booming in the decade since the first wells were drilled. Health officials have been concerned about the effect of this type of drilling on air and water quality, as well as the stress of living near a well where just developing the site of the well can require 1,000 truck trips on once-quiet roads.

“The growth in the fracking industry has gotten way out ahead of our ability to assess what the environmental and, just as importantly, public health impacts are,” says study leader Brian S. Schwartz, MD, a professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Bloomberg School. “More than 8,000 unconventional gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania alone and we’re allowing this while knowing almost nothing about what it can do to health. Our research adds evidence to the very few studies that have been done in showing adverse health outcomes associated with the fracking industry.”

In Pennsylvania in 2006, there were fewer than 100 unconventional gas wells; now there are more than 8,000.

For his study, Schwartz and his colleagues analyzed data from Geisinger Health System, which covers 40 counties in north and central Pennsylvania. They studied the records of 9,384 mothers who gave birth to 10,946 babies between January 2009 and January 2013. They compared that data with information about wells drilled for fracking and looked at how close they were to the homes of the pregnant mothers as well as what stage of drilling the wells were in, how deep the wells were dug and how much gas was being produced at the wells during the mothers’ pregnancies. Using this information, they developed an index of how active each of the wells were and how close they were to the women.

The researchers found that living in the most active quartile of drilling and production activity was associated with a 40 percent increase in the likelihood of a woman giving birth before 37 weeks of gestation (considered pre-term) and a 30 percent increase in the chance that an obstetrician had labeled their pregnancy “high-risk,” a designation that can include factors such as elevated blood pressure or excessive weight gain during pregnancy. When looking at all of the pregnancies in the study, 11 percent of babies were born preterm, with the majority (79 percent) born between 32 and 36 weeks.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that preterm-related causes of death together accounted for 35 percent of all infant deaths in 2010, more than any other single cause. Being born prematurely is also a leading cause of long-term neurological disabilities in children. Preterm birth cost the U.S. health care system more than $26 billion in 2005, they say.

While the study can’t pinpoint why the pregnant women had worse outcomes near the most active wells, Schwartz says that every step of the drilling process has an environmental impact. When the well pads are created, diesel equipment is used to clear acres of land, transport equipment and drill the wells themselves. Drilling down thousands of feet and then horizontally many more thousands of feet requires heavy equipment to break up the shale where the gas sits. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) then involves injecting millions of liters of water mixed with chemicals and sand to fracture the shale. The fluids are then pumped back to the surface. The gas itself also releases pollutants.

Schwartz also says that having a well developed nearby results in increased noise, road traffic and other changes that can increase maternal stress levels.

“Now that we know this is happening we’d like to figure out why,” Schwartz says. “Is it air quality? Is it the stress? They’re the two leading candidates in our minds at this point.”

Energy companies moved to natural gas wells dug using fracking when gas prices were high and supplies were low. While New York State has banned fracking altogether and there is a moratorium on it in Maryland, Pennsylvania has embraced the industry.

At the peak in 2011, Pennsylvania dug 1,900 wells and gas was $12.11 per thousand cubic feet. And while production is down as prices have plummeted – the state is on track for fewer than 500 new wells in 2015 with the price at $3.69 per thousand cubic feet in July – Schwartz predicts the economy will again shift and fracking will again be back in favor.

Nevertheless, Schwartz says policymakers must understand there may be real risks as they make decisions on future wells. While the research is still in its infancy, Schwartz says everything that has come out so far should give decision makers cause for concern.

“The first few studies have all shown health impacts,” he says. “Policymakers need to consider findings like these in thinking about how they allow this industry to go forward.”

“Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Birth Outcomes in Pennsylvania, USA” was written by Joan A. Casey, David A. Savitz, Sara G. Rasmussen, Elizabeth L. Ogburn, Jonathan Pollak, Dione G. Mercer and Brian S. Schwartz.The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (ES023675-01, ES071541), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Heath & Society Scholars Program and the National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship. [Emphasis added]

Epidemiology. 2015 Sep 30. [Epub ahead of print]
Unconventional Natural Gas Development and Birth Outcomes in Pennsylvania, USA.
Casey JA1, Savitz DA, Rasmussen SG, Ogburn EL, Pollak J, Mercer DG, Schwartz BS.

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Unconventional natural gas development has expanded rapidly. In Pennsylvania, the number of producing wells increased from 0 in 2005 to 3,689 in 2013. Few publications have focused on unconventional natural gas development and birth outcomes.
METHODS:
We performed a retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data on 9,384 mothers linked to 10,946 neonates in the Geisinger Health System from January 2009 to January 2013. We estimated cumulative exposure to unconventional natural gas development activity with an inverse-distance squared model that incorporated distance to the mother’s home; dates and durations of well pad development, drilling, and hydraulic fracturing; and production volume during the pregnancy. We used multilevel linear and logistic regression models to examine associations between activity index quartile and term birth weight, preterm birth, low 5-minute Apgar score and small size for gestational age birth, while controlling for potential confounding variables.
RESULTS:
In adjusted models, there was an association between unconventional natural gas development activity and preterm birth that increased across quartiles, with a fourth quartile odds ratio of 1.4 (95% confidence interval = 1.0, 1.9). There were no associations of activity with Apgar score, small for gestational age birth, or term birth weight (after adjustment for year). In a posthoc analysis, there was an association with physician-recorded high-risk pregnancy identified from the problem list (fourth vs. first quartile, 1.3 [95% confidence interval = 1.1, 1.7]).
CONCLUSION:
Prenatal residential exposure to unconventional natural gas development activity was associated with two pregnancy outcomes, adding to evidence that unconventional natural gas development may impact health.

Johns Hopkins study links fracking and premature births

Fracking associated with high risk pregnancies and premature babies: study by Allison Vuchnich, October 9, 2015, Global News

Expectant mothers living near active hydraulic fracking natural gas wells have been found to be at an increased risk of premature birth and for having high-risk pregnancies, according to a new study.

“The growth in the fracking industry has gotten way out ahead of our ability to assess what the environmental and, just as importantly, public health impacts are,” says study leader Brian Schwartz, a professor in the department of environmental health sciences at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

For the study, published in the journal Epidemiology, Schwartz studied the records of 9,384 mothers in Pennsylvania who gave birth to 10,946 babies between January 2009 and January 2013. The authors also compared how close the pregnant women lived to active fracking sites.

“More than 8,000 unconventional gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania alone, and we’re allowing this while knowing almost nothing about what it can do to health,” said Schwartz.

… Fracking is growing quickly in Canada and the United States. According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, “more than 215,000 wells have been hydraulically fractured in Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan.”

… Researchers found that living “in the most active quartile of drilling and production activity was associated with a 40 per cent increase in the likelihood of a woman giving birth before 37 weeks of gestation (considered pre-term) and a 30 per cent increase in the chance that an obstetrician had labeled their pregnancy high-risk,” according to Johns Hopkins.

Global News contacted the petroleum industry associations in Canada and the United States; they did not provide any official reaction or statement to the study. The American Petroleum Institute referred our questions to an industry consumer site put out by the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA). [Cowards?]

What is unclear is why these mothers are more at risk.

Schwartz said that increased noise, road traffic and other changes can increase maternal stress levels; another issue may be air quality.

“Now that we know this is happening we’d like to figure out why,” Schwartz says. “Is it air quality? Is it the stress? They’re the two leading candidates in our minds at this point.”

Dr. Schwartz is urging policy makers to be cautious on future wells.

“The first few studies have all shown health impacts,” Swartz said. “Policymakers need to consider findings like these in thinking about how they allow this industry to go forward.”

Pregnant women ‘at risk’ from fracking, research says by Jack Loughran, October 9, 2015,
Engineering and Technology Magazine

A new study reports that women near fracking sites are 40 per cent more likely to give birth prematurely

Women who live near fracking sites are more likely give birth prematurely and have high-risk pregnancies, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The study, led by professor Brian Schwartz, was conducted in Pennsylvania and used data from Geisinger Health System, which covers 40 counties in north and central Pennsylvania, to reach the findings.

The researchers analysed the records of 9,384 mothers who gave birth to 10,946 babies between January 2009 and January 2013.

This data was compared with information about wells drilled for fracking and how close they were to the homes of the pregnant mothers, as well as what stage of drilling the wells were in, how deep the wells were dug and how much gas was being produced at the wells during the mothers’ pregnancies.

Using this information, they developed an index of how active each of the wells were and how close they were to the women.

The researchers found that women living in areas of active drilling and production activity were on average 40 per cent more likely to give birth before 37 weeks of gestation (considered pre-term).

They also found a 30 per cent increase in the chance that an obstetrician had labelled their pregnancy “high-risk,” a designation that can include factors such as elevated blood pressure or excessive weight gain during pregnancy.

When looking at all of the pregnancies in the study, 11 per cent of babies were born preterm, with the majority (79 per cent) born between 32 and 36 weeks.

“The growth in the fracking industry has gotten way out ahead of our ability to assess what the environmental and, just as importantly, public health impacts are,” Schwartz said.

“More than 8,000 unconventional gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania alone and we’re allowing this while knowing almost nothing about what it can do to health.

… Fracking in Pennsylvania has exploded in recent years. In 2006, there were fewer than 100 unconventional gas wells, now there are more than 8,000.

In the past, health officials have been concerned about the effect that fracking has on air and water quality, as well as the stress of living near a well where just developing the site of the well can require 1,000 truck trips on once-quiet roads.

A report published in October 2013 by the UK Department of Health sub-body Public Health England concluded that the risk to people’s health from fracking was low, as long as the process is “properly run and regulated”. [Where in the world has frac’ing ever been “properly run and regulated?”]

[Refer also to:

2015: Pennsylvania Study Links Fracking to Health Hazards in Fetuses, Infants, Young Children: 35.1% more cancer in children ages zero to four in heavily frac’d counties. Compare to AER’s belittling, dismissive health non-study in the Lochend and Compare to AER’s privacy violating, belittling, lying, dismissive health non-study in Didsbury [far too shoddy and rude a study to link to]

2015: Fracking in Utah. What’s Killing the Babies of Vernal: A Fracking Boomtown, a spike in stillborn deaths and a gusher of unanswered questions

2015 07 02 Rolling Stone, What's killing the babies of Vernal, Utah, RIP

2015 07 02 Rolling Stone, What's killing the babies of Vernal, Utah

2015: Sounds like Alberta (Again)! Utah energy boomtown turns on midwife who raised concerns over apparent spike in infant deaths: “Could the deaths be tied to the oil industry, the region’s economic powerhouse?”

2015: Another New Study Showing Frac Harm: ‘Fracking’ Linked to Low Birth Weight Babies, Pregnant women who live near multiple natural gas wells tend to have smaller infants

2015: Elaine Hill interview on her research that was attacked by frac industry; One of the first scholarly explorations of health harm caused by fracing

2014: Diana Daunheimer: Alberta Energy Regulator should be ashamed, AER Directive 60 Deregulation as the frac poisons ramp up

2014 06 24 Diana Daunheimer Deregulation venting flaring AER Directive 60 Mountain View Gazette

2014: New study links fracking to birth defects in heavily drilled Colorado, Risks of some birth defects increased as much as 30 percent in mothers who lived near oil and gas wells

2014: New Study Shows Fracking Is Bad for Babies, Research builds on and affirms research in Pennsylvania by Elaine L. Hill

2014: In Utah Oil Boom Town, Dramatic Spike in Infant Deaths after Drilling and Fracing Raises Questions; Industry Funded Study Intends to Leave Out 2013 – the Year with Most Infant Deaths

2014: Alberta Energy and Environment Regulators Play Catch 22: Fracking and ill health Full InterviewsCanaries in Coal Mines, Air Monitoring Appeals by David Kattenburg, December 14, 2014

Bob Willard, Senior advisor at the Alberta Energy Regulator, agreed to speak about current regulations.

David Kattenburg: Why aren’t these things being monitored for in the gases that are coming out from flaring and incineration stacks?

Bob: The long list that you’ve identified would be the responsibility for monitoring of not only the Alberta Energy Regulator, but the Environment department themselves, and I would direct you once again to ESRD for them to identify what their plans are relative to updating those guidelines.

David: I have actually, I’ve tried valiantly I’d say to try to get them to explain to me why they have these guidelines that say all industry MUST conform to these guidelines, and then I said well why does directive 60 of the Alberta Energy Regulator only establish monitoring requirements for sulfur dioxide and he said: “speak to the Alberta Energy Regulator.”

Bob: Um, it is important, and this is something the Energy Regulator does lead, is capturing the metrics of the volumes of material, so we do have good metrics as to the volumetrics.

David: But essentially nothing about the composition of those gases, other than sulfur dioxide.

Bob: A totally accurate composition, I would certainly volunteer that no, we do not have a totally accurate comprehensive information on the flare composition rather, we have it for the uh volumes, but not necessarily for the compositions. 

FrackingCanada: Merry Christmas Alberta! 2012, Mountain View County

2013: Elaine Hill: The Impact of Oil and Gas Extraction on Infant Health in Colorado

2012: Link Between Low Birth Weight and Fracking, Says New Research

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