{"id":15141,"date":"2015-07-01T13:20:01","date_gmt":"2015-07-01T13:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/independentweekender.com\/?p=15141"},"modified":"2015-07-01T13:20:01","modified_gmt":"2015-07-01T13:20:01","slug":"marcellus-shale-health-complaint-log-released-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/2015\/07\/01\/marcellus-shale-health-complaint-log-released-for-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Marcellus Shale health complaint log released for first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

BRENDAN GIBBONS<\/strong>
\n Times-Shamrock Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

The state Department of Health logged 86 health inquiries related to Marcellus Shale development from 2011 to 2015, according to a list obtained by environmental group Food & Water Watch.<\/p>\n

The log is the public\u2019s first set of concrete evidence that the Department of Health is routinely tracking such complaints, which often come alongside inconclusive evidence of hazardous levels of harmful substances entering people\u2019s bodies.<\/p>\n

Though each incident varies widely in the type of caller and issues reported, some common trends emerge.<\/p>\n

Heavily drilled Susquehanna and Bradford counties were among the top origins of those complaints tied to a specific county. Many complaints also originated in Washington County in Southwest Pennsylvania, where the industry is also active.<\/p>\n

Health department staff often logged questions about groundwater and air pollution, though many callers reported specific health complaints. Skin rashes, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory difficulty, nose and throat irritation, headaches and nosebleeds were most common.<\/p>\n

In most cases, health department staff offered to examine environmental test results from the state Department of Environmental Protection or private companies, if they were available. The health department does not take these samples itself, they told callers.<\/p>\n

This presents a problem for concerned residents who cannot afford these tests, said David Brown, Sc.D., who has served in environmental public health roles for Connecticut\u2019s state health agency and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n

He now works with the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project, which researches and responds to hundreds of shale gas-related complaints.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatients were directed to go have certain tests done, water tests, which were really expensive,\u201d Dr. Brown said. \u201cThose recommendations would not have been successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the logs often refer to DEP testing, \u201cthere\u2019s often no evidence that DEP ever came back to them and told them what they found or didn\u2019t find,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Still, the work represents an honest effort to track Pennsylvanians\u2019 concerns, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t personally fault anyone who was preparing any of these reports,\u201d he said. \u201cIt looks like they were doing their best with few resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Food & Water Watch released the 111 pages of health department documents Wednesday, with names and addresses of callers redacted. The group advocates for a ban on hydraulic fracturing.<\/p>\n

Starting in July 2014, the group fought for access to the documents using the state\u2019s open records law, appealing an initial denial to the state Office of Open Records, the group\u2019s justice program co-director Scott Edwards said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe strongly believed these were public documents and the people of Pennsylvania had a right to know of citizens\u2019 public health concerns with fracking,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The health department stopped fighting the open records request soon after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf took over for former Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, he said.<\/p>\n

For Linda Headley, a Fayette County resident who complained to the health department, the information that appeared in the log was inaccurate in some cases.<\/p>\n

The age of her son, the date she purchased her property and the type of tests conducted by the DEP were all inaccurate in the report, she said in a conference call sponsored by Food & Water Watch.<\/p>\n

Headley said she and her young son have been exposed to gases and liquids from condensate tanks on an Atlas Resources well 500 feet from her home. Her efforts to find information from state environmental and health agencies have not been successful.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a process of educating yourself,\u201d she said. \u201c(You) see the well tender coming in now, you assume nothing. You go in the house and close the windows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joel Hersh, former director of the state Department of Health\u2019s Bureau of Epidemiology, said the agency used a sound method of logging complaints, assigning them numbers and following up.<\/p>\n

He cautioned against using a list of complaints to gauge the true health effects of living next to shale gas wells. It does not include environmental and medical test results, physicians\u2019 evaluations and the department\u2019s analysis and recommendations, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you do a health assessment, if you don\u2019t marry that up to a clinical evaluation by their physician, you just have a self-report,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Department of Health spokesman Wes Culp was not able to answer questions Wednesday on what the agency\u2019s evaluations say in general about gas-related health issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite frankly, this is an issue that\u2019s touchy and there are a lot of people involved in this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In an email, he mentioned the $100,000 Gov. Wolf proposed in his budget for the agency to plan a health registry. The department is also reviewing its \u201cprocesses and protocols\u201d to address environmental health, he said.<\/p>\n

Log highlights
\n\u25a0 Years: Spans 2011 to 2015
\n\u25a0 Complaints: 86 logged
\n\u25a0 Top five counties of origin: Susquehanna, Washington, Bradford, Wyoming, Fayette.
\n\u25a0 Top health concerns reported: Skin rashes, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory difficulty, nose and throat irritation, headaches and nosebleeds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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