Fracking in Pennsylvania is too close to residents for safety: Study

“The newly published PLOS One article also follows a 2016 study that reviewed setback regulations, geography, thermal modeling and air pollution data in Marcellus, Barnett, and Niobrara Shale Plays. That study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, also concluded that existing regulations ‘may not be sufficient to reduce potential threats to human health in areas where hydraulic fracturing occurs.’

“Dr. Marsha Haley, a radiation oncologist and researcher at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cancer Institute who led the 2016 study, said of the panel’s quarter mile setback recommendation: ‘This is over double the distance of the current setback, [which is] consistent with the findings in our paper—that the Pennsylvania setback of 500 feet is inadequate when you look at the data for explosions, fires and air pollution. High-occupancy buildings, especially those with vulnerable populations, should have a larger setback because you have to consider the time and logistics of evacuation.'”

FULL STORY published August 23, 2018 via Environmental Health News