Fracking and Hormone Disruption May be Linked, According to New Research
A recent study is cautioning over the utilization of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, and the chemicals that are used in the process by stated that they could lead to human hormone disruption.
The study was published in Endocrinology and stated that the gas extraction technique uses chemicals that could be harmful to the body.
Fracking is a new drilling technique that uses high pressure, water and chemicals to break up shale rock thousands of feet below the surface, and capture the gas that is released.
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Researchers from the University of Missouri's School of Medicine analyzed 12 chemicals known or suspected to be used in fracking that are often grouped as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDC exposure has been linked with adverse health effects such as cancer, infertility and birth defects.
The scientists collected samples of ground and surface water from drilling and accident sites as well as from sites where there was no drilling activity.
Some of the sites included parts of the Colorado River – a main source of drainage for fracking sites and areas of Garfield County where there are over 10,000 wells.
Samples recovered from active drilling sites were found to have higher levels of EDC's.
"More than 700 chemicals are used in the fracking process, and many of them disturb hormone function," study author, Susan C. Nagel, of the University of Missouri's School of Medicine, said in a statement. "With fracking on the rise, populations may face greater health risks from increased endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure."
Samples taken from the Colorado River had moderate levels of EDC's, while those taken from sites without drilling displayed little to none.
Nagel added that in the U.S. fracking "is exempt from federal regulations to protect water quality, but spills associated with natural gas drilling can contaminate surface, ground and drinking water."
"We found more endocrine-disrupting activity in the water close to drilling locations that had experienced spills than at control sites…This could raise the risk of reproductive, metabolic, neurological and other diseases, especially in children who are exposed to EDCs."
