Hydraulic fracturing and infant health: New evidence from Pennsylvania.

ABSTRACT: The development of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") is considered the biggest change to the global energy production system in the last half-century. However, several communities have banned fracking because of unresolved concerns about the impact of this process on human health. To evaluate the potential health impacts of fracking, we analyzed records of more than 1.1 million births in Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2013, comparing infants born to mothers living at different distances from active fracking sites and those born both before and after fracking was initiated at each site. We adjusted for fixed maternal determinants of infant health by comparing siblings who were and were not exposed to fracking sites in utero. We found evidence for negative health effects of in utero exposure to f

SUBMITTER: Currie J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5729015 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature