Fracking Linked to Asthma?

Fracking linked to asthma attacks in Hopkins study

Asthma sufferers who live near wells in which hydraulic fracturing is used to extract natural gas are up to four times more likely to have an asthma attack than those who live farther away, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins University.

The findings are the latest in a string of studies that have linked health problems to proximity to such wells, and come as Maryland prepares to lift a moratorium next year and issue permits for the controversial method of extraction known as "fracking."

"Ours is the first to look at asthma, but we now have several studies suggesting adverse health outcomes related to the drilling of unconventional natural gas wells," said Sara G. Rasmussen, a study leader and doctoral candidate in the department of environmental health sciences at Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health.

"Going forward, we need to focus on the exact reasons why these things are happening," she said, "because if we know why, we can help make the industry safer."

I doubt if that were really the point, or the reason the study was funded.

Rasmussen and other investigators agree that more study is needed to determine the cause of the negative health outcomes. Other research has connected proximity to the wells to pre-term births and lower birth weights, respiratory and skin irritation, and increased hospitalizations in neurology, oncology and urology.

The Hopkins study looked at the health records of 35,000 asthma patients in the Geisinger Health System and found there were more mild attacks requiring inhalers, more moderate attacks requiring an emergency room visit and more severe attacks requiring hospitalization.

 This is a correlative study, not a controlled clinical experiment, the gold standard for a medical

Rasmussen said air pollution and stress from added noise, vibrations and truck traffic could explain the risk. She said asthma complications manifest quickly after exposure to triggers, making the disease a good bellwether for potential health effects.

So, really, she has no clue as to what a mechanism for the apparent relationship is. Maybe asthma causes fracking? Or maybe people are allergic to anti-fracking propaganda?

"Numerous studies that have actually measured emissions directly on well pads have shown that development is protective of public health," said Seth Whitehead, researcher for an outreach campaign by the Independent Petroleum Association of America, which represents oil and gas producers. "It's curious that studies funded, written or peer-reviewed by activists — as the Pennsylvania asthma study clearly was — never seem to include direct air measurements."

Don't turn on the lights, 'cause we they don't want to see.

Obama Lies To Promote Climate Plan

White House: Climate Change causes more Asthma

According to AP;

Warning of the perils to the planet has gotten the president only so far; polls consistently show the public is skeptical that the steps Obama has taken to curb pollution are worth the cost to the economy. So Obama is aiming to put a spotlight on ways that climate change will have real impacts on the body, like more asthma attacks, allergic reactions, heat-related deaths and injuries from extreme weather.

Obama said spending on health — such as preventing asthma — can save more money than it costs, as well as alleviate pain and suffering.

We've rebutted the claim of increased deaths due to "extreme weather" (hint, it ain't happening), and "heat-related deaths" (more people die of cold than heat) previously, but the asthma thing is new. From the NIH, fairly respectable for a government agency:

What Causes Asthma?

The exact cause of asthma isn't known. Researchers think some genetic and environmental factors interact to cause asthma, most often early in life. These factors include:

1. An inherited tendency to develop allergies, called atopy (AT-o-pe)
2. Parents who have asthma
3. Certain respiratory infections during childhood
4. Contact with some airborne allergens or exposure to some viral infections in infancy or in early childhood when the immune system is developing

If asthma or atopy runs in your family, exposure to irritants (for example, tobacco smoke) may make your airways more reactive to substances in the air.

Some factors may be more likely to cause asthma in some people than in others. Researchers continue to explore what causes asthma.

The "Hygiene Hypothesis"

One theory researchers have for what causes asthma is the "hygiene hypothesis." They believe that our Western lifestyle—with its emphasis on hygiene and sanitation—has resulted in changes in our living conditions and an overall decline in infections in early childhood.

Many young children no longer have the same types of environmental exposures and infections as children did in the past. This affects the way that young children's immune systems develop during very early childhood, and it may increase their risk for atopy and asthma. This is especially true for children who have close family members with one or both of these conditions.

Do you see anything in this list (after the honest "The exact cause of asthma is not known"), that even begins to relate to "climate change"?

It's probably unkind to call the President's comments a lie. I'm sure someone he trusted told him that global warming might cause an increase in asthma.  I don't care. If the president is going to say it, he ought to subject it to a minimal level of fact checking.

I had asthma as a kid, and it turned out to be a house dust allergy (really an allegy to the feces of dust mites which live in bedding and feed on sloughed off skin).

For Obama to invoke this in his attempt to gain complete control over the economy for the Federal Goverment is equally disgusting.