To the editor:
I’
ve been reading the Compendium of Scientific, Medical and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking www.concernedhealthny.org This compilation of evidence was used in New York as rationale for its moratorium – now a ban on fracking.
As a registered nurse I’m outraged that a process such as high volume horizontal fracking (HVHF) is allowed anywhere! The health hazards are tremendous.
As a group, oil and gas industry workers have an on-the job fatality rate that is 2.5 times higher than the construction industry. A recent investigation found high levels of benzene in the urine of workers on the well pad. It has been known since the early 1900s that benzene cause’s cancer including bladder, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome.
The LA times recently reported benzene levels in wastewater up to 700X federal standards! This will elevate risks for future cancers in workers and nearby residents.
The thick cloud of silica dust in the air around fracking operations expose workers and local residents, putting them at risk for lung cancer and other respiratory illness. Exposure to the volatile organic compounds put the unborn at risk for low birth rate and birth defects. There are not only carcinogens emitted from these sites, but chemicals that cause respiratory and cardiovascular illness and neurotoxins which disrupt the immune and nervous systems.
There is an approach called the Precautionary Principle. The idea is “first do no harm.” This would be a novel approach considering the serious risks to human health and the environment.
Our leaders are not using the Precautionary Principle. Cancer rates are climbing. Health care costs are soaring. Are you willing to risk your health and the health of your loved ones? I’m not. Michigan must have a moratorium now on HVHF…at the very least.
Karen Fifelski, Hopkins
