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Alaska covers fewer kids with public insurance vs. 2019; Judge Cannon indefinitely postpones Trump's classified docs trial; Federal initiative empowers communities with career creation; Ohio teacher salaries haven't kept pace with inflation.

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Former Speaker Paul Ryan weighs in on the 2024 Presidential election. President Biden condemns anti-semitism. And the House calls more college and university presidents to testify on handling pro-Palestine protests.

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Bidding begins soon for Wyoming's elk antlers, Southeastern states gained population in the past year, small rural energy projects are losing out to bigger proposals, and a rural arts cooperative is filling the gap for schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Report: Fracking Poses Health Risks to Children

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Wednesday, May 25, 2016   

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Children and infants are especially at risk for health problems attributable to fracking, according to a new study by the Center for Environmental Health.

The report's lead author, Ellen Webb, healthy-energy sciences and advocacy manager for the center, said it's the first comprehensive literature review on respiratory risks associated with unconventional oil and gas operations.

"Air pollution is basically routine in fracking," she said. "So many people living near fracking have reported health problems, but the actual literature being able to show cause and effect is really just starting to emerge."

The study focused on five pollutants recognized as hazardous by federal agencies and produced during the fracking process: ozone, particulate matter, silica dust, benzene and formaldehyde. Maryland imposed a two-and-a-half-year ban on fracking, and the state is writing standards to regulate the practice for when the ban lifts in 2017.

Webb noted that because of the 2005 Energy Policy Act, chemicals used in fracking are not made public. To understand the complete scope of respiratory health effects, she said, full disclosure is critical.

"Unfortunately, the oil and gas industry has been exempted from almost all federal environmental regulations," she said, "and additionally, states are pre-empted from adopting their own rules to protect their residents' health."

She added that the EPA's recent proposals to cut methane emissions in the oil and gas industry are a good first step. However, she said, she thinks more could be done to reduce health risks. Children are most at risk because their lungs are still developing, Webb said, and their size and proximity to the ground means they ingest a greater concentration of pollutants than adults.

"These are our children. These are the future generation," she said. "You know children, they don't have the voice to always speak for themselves -- so, we need to be that voice and we need to protect them."

The study is online at ecowatch.com.


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