Fracking uses chemicals that can disrupt the body’s hormones, namely reproductive hormones. Such chemicals seep into drinking water at natural-gas drilling sites during spills or accidents, and can interfere with endocrine functions when they enter the body, according to new research published in the journal Endocrinology.
In this study, researchers from the University of Missouri and the U.S. Geological Survey picked 12 suspected or known endocrine-disrupting chemicals and measured their ability to interfere with the body’s response to testosterone and estrogen. They collected samples that would contain these chemicals from groundwater at fracking sites that had experienced spills or accidents in a drilling-dense area of Colorado. They also took samples from nearby, spill-free sites with minimal usual drilling.
Their results showed that the water samples from the active fracking sites had higher levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals than in sites with little drilling. Their heightened presence in certain areas ups the risk of health problems for people living nearby, the researchers conclude.
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