Pregnant Women Who Live Near Fracking Wells ‘Give Birth Prematurely’

A new study has stoked the flames of the controversy around fracking - by suggesting that women near fracking wells are more likely to have premature births.

The study, by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers, found that women near natural gas fracking wells are 40% more likely to give birth prematurely.

The study, published in the journal Epidemiology, also found that there was a 30% increase in high-risk pregnancies.

Health researchers have been concerned over the impact of such wells on air quality, water quality, and in terms of stress suffered by those living nearby.

The growth in the fracking industry has gotten way out ahead of our ability to assess what the environmental and, just as importantly, public health impacts are,’ said lead researcher Brian S. Schwartz of the Bloomberg School.

‘More than 8,000 unconventional gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania alone and we're allowing this while knowing almost nothing about what it can do to health.

‘Our research adds evidence to the very few studies that have been done in showing adverse health outcomes associated with the fracking industry.’