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Children living near oil and gas fracking have higher risk of leukemia, study finds

Oil and Gas Fracking Young children who live near sites develop a form ofleukemiaaccording to a recent study in Pennsylvania.

Fracking uses liquid chemicals pumped deep underground to extract fossil fuels. to . This has been a concern of some environmentalists and public health advocates.

This study is the latest to examine potential health risks associated with controversial oil and gas Also known as "development" (UOG), it is common in many regions. American.

"Unconventional oil and gas development (UOG) may use or release chemicals linked to cancer," said the study's author, Yale University. Epidemiologist Nicole Deziel told her university.

"Thus, the potential exposure of children living near the UOG to these chemical It is a major health concern.”

The new study examined more than 2,400 children aged 2 to 7 in Pennsylvania. Of these, 405 were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a common blood cancer in children, and 2,080 had no cancer.

A child who lived within 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) of a fracking site at some point during her lifetime or up to 1 year before her birth is more likely to develop cancer than a child who did not. was about double.

The odds were nearly three times higher when researchers looked only at children exposed in the year before birth.

After adjusting for race and socioeconomic status, these odds drop slightly, with odds about 75% higher for children exposed at any given time, and about 75% higher for children exposed prenatally. The odds were just over double hers.

The researchers did not test whether fracking chemicals caused leukemia, only that children living near fracking sites were more likely to develop leukemia. However, the study authors note that the liquid mixture used for fracking may contain chemicals linked to cancer.

Other studies have shown a relationship between fracking and health risks, including in children. For example, another study from Pennsylvania in 2017 found that more babies with low birth weight were born in areas closer to fracking sites.

Environmentalists and some communities close to fracking operations have long been concerned about the potential hazards of water contamination from injecting fracking chemicals into the ground. A 2016 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report confirmed that fracking operations "may affect drinking water." This includes contamination of groundwater with fracking chemicals.

Fracking is not only caused by heavy equipment exhaust and the release of chemicals into the air, but also by flaring, the burning of some of the excess gas drawn from the ground.the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences says.

In addition to pollution, fracking can cause earthquakes when liquids pumped underground interact with fault lines.

In response to these concerns, some local governments have banned fracking. For example, the UK banned fracking in 2019. New York State has also banned fracking.