A child with cancer, under any circumstance, is never an easy thing to share or talk about. Yet, a group of brave parents from Washington County, PA., have fought to have their children’s stories known. Worried their children’s cancer is more than just bad luck, and is in fact connected with the oil extraction process of fracking, they have insisted on getting answers from government officials and industry executives.
As of November 2019, these families’ persistence and public engagement has finally paid off in an important way. The state of Pennsylvania has pledged to spend $3.9 million on a pair of studies to explore the potential health effects of fracking. Governor Tom Wolf is credited as the government champion of this announcement. (1)
Ewing’s Sarcoma
A rare form of bone cancer, Ewing’s sarcoma mainly afflicts children and teenagers. Usually, patients with Ewing’s sarcoma will experience cancerous lesions on their arm and leg bones, or in the surrounding soft tissue. Some patients with Ewing’s will have bone pain, swelling in the affected area, feel increasingly tired, and may develop a broken bone with no known cause. Thanks to advances in cancer treatment, outcomes are mainly good for these patients, but they will require lifelong monitoring for the return of cancer. (2)
The Fracking Connection
At present day, there are no known risk factors or causes for Ewing’s sarcoma. The disease is not believed to be genetic or have environmental links. Yet, this soon may change. (1, 2)
As first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ewing’s sarcoma has been strongly suspected as having a link with energy companies. It seems, from a cursory glance, that dozens of children in the most populous regions for energy companies to frack and drill are developing Ewing’s. A four-county area outside of Pittsburgh, PA., is one of these areas, ripe with fracking activity and children with Ewing’s since 2008 (approximately 27 cases in a region of 750,000 people). (1)
In the future, research will ultimately be the key to linking fracking and Ewing’s sarcoma. Ewing’s has been a condition skipped over by past environmental studies, so the results from Pennsylvania will be instrumental for patients with this illness. Beyond this coming study in Pennsylvania, other studies are currently underway to link various poor health effects with fracking, such as adverse birth outcomes.
Public Skepticism
Online commentators have weighed in on this news story, and don’t like what they are hearing. Their concerns are that the big energy corporations will bias and mislead the results of this coming study. One online commentator narrated a quote from a big energy company, stating:
“The Marcellus Shale Coalition said in a statement it was “committed to working closely with the administration on this research” and would “encourage state officials to neutrally, fairly and without bias evaluate all potential factors” of the cancers. [Will frac’ers and the propaganda Coalition be allowed to edit the data and reports, as Encana was allowed to in the Pavillion Wyoming water contamination investigation?] (1) Additional criticism has been attracted based on Pennsylvania’s Department of Health reluctance to declare how much funding is coming from big energy companies to conduct these studies, which (if any) academic institution will partner with them, and provide a timeline for the work. (3)
However, for the time being, the families involved with this announcement and living with ill children are elated by the news. “We are very happy. I think it’s wonderful the governor has listened to the concerns of the citizens and taken some actions.” Said Christine Barton, mother of a child with Ewing sarcoma. (1)
