New Fracking “Compendium” Now Available June 19, 2019

By Barbara Gottlieb

The sixth edition of the fracking “Compendium” has just been released. PSR is proud to partner with Concerned Health Professionals of New York in preparing and rolling out this volume, which provides abstracts and electronic links to an almost encyclopedic compilation of reports, peer-reviewed articles and investigative reporting on fracking’s dangerous impacts on health.

Those sources provide evidence that fracking for oil and gas hastens climate change, and that fracking, fracking infrastructure, and the disposal of fracking waste damage public health.

As you probably know, to prevent potentially catastrophic climate change, we must stop extracting and burning methane (“natural” gas) for heating, cooking, and to generate electricity. Methane is far more powerful than carbon dioxide at heating the atmosphere. One entry in the Compendium features striking new data showing that the U.S. EPA has been grossly underestimating methane leaks and their impact.

Health problems associated with fracking include increased rates of premature birth, the leading cause of infant death in the U.S.; reproductive and respiratory impacts, and cancer risks. Drilling and fracking contribute to toxic air pollution and smog (ground-level ozone) at levels known to have health impacts. Fracking and the disposal of fracking waste can contaminate drinking water. Fracking infrastructure poses serious potential exposure risks to those living nearby and poses human rights and environmental justice issues.

The Compendium concludes that regulations are simply not capable of preventing harm to health.

The Compendium is an invaluable tool for anyone seeking to understand and convey fracking’s health threats. It provides brief summaries of some 1,500 reports; electronic links facilitate access to source material. Content is divided into sections that include public health, water contamination, air pollution, inherent engineering problems, abandoned wells, pipelines, LNG export, and more.

The Compendium also addresses some of fracking’s widening circles of impact, with sections ranging from flood risks, to earthquakes, to threats to agriculture.

And, of course, climate change.

You can access this valuable resource here.