I began looking at graduate schools this summer, and Ohio University’s Environmental Studies program is one I am considering. Or at least, was considering.
But why would I choose to stay in an area if it is fracked? Why would I stay in an area that has a heightened risk of contaminated water? Why would I stay in an area where levels of air pollution will significantly increase? Why would I stay if Athens loses much of its natural beauty because it has turned into an industrial zone?
Back in September, Dr. Deborah Cowden, M.D. and president of the Greene County Medical Society, came to campus and gave a talk titled “Impacts to Air Quality & Public Health from Shale Drilling.”
The focus of Dr. Cowden’s talk was the sole study done about the health effects of air pollution from fracking. The study (http://www.ucdenver.edu/about/newsroom/newsreleases/Pages/health-impacts-of-fracking-emissions.aspx), done by the Colorado School of Public Health, was based on three years of monitoring and found a number of potentially toxic compounds in the air near wells, including benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene. Benzene is a known carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) and is also associated with leukemia, anemia, blood disorders and immunological effects. Other chemicals included heptane, octane and diethylbenzene, but information on their toxicity is limited.
The researchers found (surprise!) that those living closer to the wells have a higher risk for cancer as well as problems such as eye irritation, headaches, sore throat and difficulty breathing. The levels of benzene and other chemicals at the rural Colorado site were higher than many urban areas.
Additionally, as Dr. Cowden explained, in Ohio, we sit over a large bed of hydrogen sulfide, a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas that smells like rotten eggs. At a concentration of more than 150 parts per million in the air, it paralyzes your olfactory nerve, so you can’t smell it. Oil and gas drilling can accidentally tap into these pockets of hydrogen sulfide, and oil-field workers have been killed trying to stop leaks. Ohio also has many hills and valleys, so the air tends to sit, making hydrogen sulfide leakage a bigger cause for concern here compared to the flat and windy western plains where most drilling occurs. Ohio also has a much more concentrated population, even in our rural areas.
Perhaps we should take note from Europe and apply the precautionary principle, where industrial activity has to be proved safe before it is approved by authorities. In Germany, a government report (http://ecowatch.org/2012/safe-fracking-a-fairy-tale/) assessed the risks before adopting fracking on a large scale like we are doing in the U.S. In it, they found that fracking technology can lead to groundwater contamination, and experts advise against large-scale fracking, among other things.
Again, why would I want to stay? When the administration considers leasing our land, I hope they are aware of these concerns felt by myself, other students, and prospective students and their parents.
Austin Stahl is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University and a former writer for The Post.
