Doctors Urge Fracking Halt Over Health Concerns
Doctors are warning United States government officials and gas producers about the dangers of hydraulic fracking, the controversial act of pumping water and chemicals underground in order to facilitate the flow of oil or gas. As previously admitted by the EPA, reports have revealed that fracking is leading to groundwater pollution that could be endangering your health.
Jerome Paulson, a pediatrician at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, is calling upon gas producers who are heavily involved in fracking to finance studies examining the safety of the process. Until then, he is calling for hydraulic fracking to come to a freeze. While there are many corporations involved with fracking, top independent producers include Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Devon Energy Corp., both of Oklahoma City, and Encana Corp. of Calgary.
Due to concerns over the process, Paulson is not alone in his quest to end fracking. Adam Law, an endocrinologist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, shares the vision of Dr. Paulson. In an interview, Law discussed how studies are necessary in order to go forward with fracking, if they make way for the continuation of the process at all:
“We’ve got to push the pause button, and maybe we’ve got to push the stop button.”
Another spokesman over the dangers of fracking is Representative Ed Markey of Massachusetts, a senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “We need to understand fully all of the chemicals that are shot into the ground, that could impact the water that children drink,” he said. The representative also stated that the industry is attempting “to block that information from being public.”
Interestingly, there has already been studies regarding the effects of fracking on the drinking water in local areas, with the findings being quite negative. The chemicals involved in the fracking process are highly toxic, and the presence of these chemicals in the drinking water poses a serious risk to your health. New EPA findings could significantly impact the fracking debate, providing substantial evidence that these chemicals are in fact ending up in the water supply.
The real question is whether or not the EPA will take the appropriate steps to reduce or even stop fracking, after ignoring the threat for quite some time. The EPA declaration immediately received criticism and rebuttal from the oil and gas industry as well as one United States senator. Oil and gas companies have long claimed that fracking is completely safe, ignoring all information put forth that highlights the potential dangers to human health. In contrast, environmentalists across the nation rejoiced as the issue was brought to the public spotlight and debate spectrum.
With mainstream doctors, the EPA, and countless activists around the nation protesting the health-threatening nature of hydraulic fracking, isn’t it time that an independent investigation was conducted?
