New York is poised to make a decision on allowing natural gas development and production to expand — a decision that was just delayed because the state is still considering the health impacts of moving forward.
As state Health Commissioner Nirav Shah has said, "The time to ensure the impacts on public health are properly considered is before a state permits drilling."
Yet years after the shale gas boom began, scientific studies are just now being conducted and reported. We can only hope that the Health Department and its appointed panel of experts takes the time necessary to thoroughly analyze this critical issue before reaching any conclusions.
New research in places where gas drilling is already a fact of life increasingly shows associations between industrial gas operations and facilities and health concerns.
For example, in a recent first-of-its-kind, yearlong study, scientists from what's known as The Endocrine Disruption Exchange measured the presence of volatile organic chemicals —many of which have known health and carcinogenic effects — in the air in a neighborhood situated within a natural gas production area in rural western Colorado. Within a mile radius of the sampling site, there were already 130 wells.
Almost five dozen volatile organic chemicals showed up at varying levels in weekly air samples. Methane, ethane, propane, toluene, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde appeared in every sample. All are known to be associated with gas operations. Concentrations of some of the other volatile chemicals known to come primarily from other sources (such as traffic) were much lower.
At the same time, but thousands of miles away, the environmental group Earthworks was gathering more than 100 health surveys in several rural counties in Pennsylvania that have seen a surge in gas development. Earthworks also conducted air testing near gas facilities, at the homes of many of the survey participants. Results showed the presence of 19 VOCs, with considerable consistency in the chemicals detected across samples taken at far-flung locations.
Although the projects were completely independent of each other, both ended up traveling down the same road when assessing the potential hazards associated with the detected chemicals. TEDX found more than 30 chemicals in its samples that can affect the brain/nervous system, the liver/metabolism, and the endocrine (reproductive and developmental) system, and more than 20 that affect the immune system, cardiovascular/blood and the sensory/respiratory system.
Earthworks compared the known health effects of the chemicals detected with symptoms reported by members of the households where the air testing occurred, finding an overall match of nearly 70 percent.
Most striking were the much higher rates of symptoms, such as throat irritation, sinus problems and headaches, reported by survey participants living closer than 1,500 feet to facilities — wells, impoundments, and compressor stations — than by those living farther away.
The most important result in the TEDX study was that concentrations of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were three times higher than those found in the inner city of New York, where babies exposed prenatally are being born with small head circumference, lower developmental scores at age 3 and lower IQ scores at age 5.
Without proper consideration for air pollution as well as water pollution, New York could create a scenario where even rural areas will have air as hazardous as that found in inner New York City. New York is in the envious position of being able to prevent this catastrophe and set a precedent for the nation.
Industry and proponents of unfettered gas development have been able to make claims of safety because they have simultaneously downplayed many studies for not establishing definitive "cause and effect."
Yet science is not based on absolute proof, but on associations that reflect real trends that can collectively build a strong body of evidence.
Those who work to protect health and the environment often base their actions on the principle of preventing harm, even in the face of some uncertainty. Decision-makers contemplating the expansion of gas development — while also being responsible for protecting the public — should do no less.
Theo Colborn is president of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, www.endocrinedisruption.com. Nadia Steinzor works for Earthworks.