The National Trial Lawyers
  • Home
    • Meet Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Mission & Goals
    • FAQ
  • Webinars
  • News
  • Membership Directory
    • Top 100 Map – Civil Plaintiff
    • Top 100 Map – Criminal Defense
    • Top 40 Under 40 Map – Civil Plaintiff
    • Top 40 Under 40 Map – Criminal Defense
  • Top 100
    • Civil Plaintiff Officers / Executive Committee
    • Criminal Defense Officers / Executive Committee
    • Benefits
    • About
    • Top 100 Presidents Message
    • Diplomat
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member Profile Updates
    • Top 100 Badge
  • Top 40
    • Civil Plaintiff Officers / Executive Committee
    • Criminal Defense Officers / Executive Committee
    • Top 40 Under 40 Trial Academy Bootcamp
    • Benefits
    • About
    • Top 40 Presidents Message
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member Profile Updates
    • Top 40 Badge
  • Specialty Assoc
    • About
    • Shop
    • Officers
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member Profile Updates
  • Nominate
    • Top 100
    • Top 40
    • Specialty Association
    • Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame
    • Trial Lawyer of the Year
    • Trial Team of the Year
    • America’s Most Influential Trial Lawyer
    • America’s Most Influential Law Firm
    • Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Shop
  • Magazine
    • A-List
  • Education and Networking Agenda
    • Trial Lawyers Summit
    • Top 40 Under 40 Trial Academy Boot Camp
    • Mass Torts Made Perfect
    • The Lanier Trial Academy Master Class 6.0
    • The Business Of Law
    • Webinars
  • Hall of Fame
    • Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame

More Health Problems Reported by People Living Near Fracking Sites

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Larry Bodine

Study: People Who Live Near Fracking Sites More Likely to Report Health ProblemsPeople who live within one kilometer of hydraulic fracturing (also known as “fracking”) have more overall health symptoms than those who live two or more kilometers from it, according to a new study by The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Even when other factors such as age, smoking and work type were excluded, the number of reported skin conditions and the number of upper respiratory symptoms was higher in people who lived in closer proximity to a natural gas well.

legal news, law news, lawyers, settlements

This article originally appeared on Lawyers and Settlements.

Prevalence of health symptoms

The study involved a survey of 492 people in Washington County, PA, who lived in 180 randomly selected households. The households all had ground-fed wells and were within proximity of active natural gas drilling. Researchers then studied the relationship between proximity to the gas well and the reporting of various health issues, including “dermal, respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and neurological symptoms.”

Researchers found that the number of overall reported health symptoms per respondent was higher among. There was no correlation found between other respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular or gastrointestinal conditions.

The study’s authors noted that the results are only intended to generate hypotheses and the study was limited to households with a ground-fed water supply. They concluded that “proximity of natural gas wells may be associated with the prevalence of health symptoms including dermal and respiratory conditions in residents living near natural gas extraction activities.”

Among the reported skin conditions were rashes, dermatitis, irritation, burning and itching. Among the upper respiratory issues reported were allergies/sinus problems/itchy eyes, nose bleeds, stuffy nose and cough/sore throat.

Water and air contamination

Lawsuits have been filed against companies involved in fracking, alleging people who live near fracking sites have suffered health problems and/or have lost their livelihood because of fracking activities.

In their discussion, researchers noted that there were several possible explanations for the increased reporting in skin conditions in respondents who lived closer to the wells. Those explanations included water contamination, air contamination, stress or anxiety caused by living close to the gas well (although researchers said they adjusted for this awareness), or other allergens or chemicals not related to natural gas drilling. Researchers recommended that further study, including evaluation of air and water exposure, is needed.

The study confirms previous studies — which tended to be small in sample size — that found some reported symptoms were higher in people who lived closer to fracking sites. Among those cited by the National Institutes of Health were a study that found symptoms such as throat and nasal irritation, eye burning, headaches, loss of smell and nosebleeds were more common in people who lived near natural gas facilities.

Posted in Blog, Personal Injury

Comments are closed.

News Categories

Read about other Top Jury Verdicts

The New Mexico Supreme Court Upholds $165 Million Damage Awards in a Deadly FedEx Crash

The New Mexico Supreme Court Upholds $165 Million Damage Awards in a Deadly FedEx Crash

The New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday upheld $165 million of jury awards against FedEx in a wrongful-death lawsuit stemmin[Read More...]
Noom Reaches a $56 Million Class Action Settlement Over Its Autorenewal and Cancellation Policy

Noom Reaches a $56 Million Class Action Settlement Over Its Autorenewal and Cancellation Policy

Weight-loss program Noom has agreed to a $56 million settlement to resolve class action claims regarding its autorenewal and [Read More...]
Virginians Will Receive $489 Million in a Payday Loan Settlement

Virginians Will Receive $489 Million in a Payday Loan Settlement

Online payday loan companies that charged as much as 919% interest will spend $489 million to reimburse some 555,000 borrower[Read More...]
The State of Minnesota Will Pay $1.5 Million to a Man Who Alleged Excessive Force During an Arrest

The State of Minnesota Will Pay $1.5 Million to a Man Who Alleged Excessive Force During an Arrest

Minneapolis has agreed to pay $1.5 million to a man who said police used excessive force when he was arrested during the prot[Read More...]
A $230 Million Settlement Is Reached Over a 2015 Southern California Oil Spill

A $230 Million Settlement Is Reached Over a 2015 Southern California Oil Spill

The owner of an oil pipeline that spewed thousands of barrels of crude oil onto Southern California beaches in 2015 has agree[Read More...]

#LegalNews

@@TheNTLtop100

Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Attorney information and content provided on this website is provided for the benefit of members of The National Trial Lawyers and as a public service by Legal Associations Management, Inc. The website and all data are the property of Legal Associations Management, Inc. Data, including without limitation attorney information and content, on the site may not be mined, sold, or used commercially for any purpose without the explicit written consent of Legal Associations Management, Inc. This site may not be accessed by any automated program for extracting data for any use. By accessing and using the site you agree that you will not develop, support or use software, devices, scripts, robots, or any other means or processes (including crawlers, browser plug-ins and add-ons, or any other technology) to scrape data or otherwise copy profiles and other data. Unauthorized use or attempted unauthorized use of this system may subject you to both civil and criminal penalties.