Tim Thornton: A GP’s fears over health impact of fracking in Ryedale

AFTER working for over 30 years as a GP in North Yorkshire, I have come to love the people and the countryside. I am troubled that the natural beauty of the area and the health of the residents are under threat by an urge to “dash for gas”.
Fracking rigs like this one are a common site in AmericaFracking rigs like this one are a common site in America
Fracking rigs like this one are a common site in America

Ryedale relies on agriculture and tourism as its main sources of income and both may be impacted if fracking is introduced and develops to its characteristic, industrial scale. Quite apart from potential poor mental health from noise, vibration, lorry movement and bright lights from months of drilling, there seems to be an unacceptable risk of ill health as a result of the entire process.

The peer-reviewed science that has emerged, largely in the last two years, points to risk or actual harm to water, air quality, wildlife, the visual amenity of the countryside, to health and mental wellbeing.

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The evidence comes from the USA, Canada and Australia and is the result of the scaling-up of the industry to a level that makes commercial sense. A single well may not have great impact, but 2,000 wells in Ryedale alone is likely to have an effect similar to those countries.

We are told that with world-class regulation and close monitoring we can mitigate the harm of fracking. Unfortunately there are some significant issues that will not go away with good engineering.

Despite all efforts by the industry, wells leak. After 15 years about 50 per cent will leak, six per cent leak on completion, with a more complicated structure, the fracking wells leak more than traditional vertical wells. Methane makes water undrinkable while in the air it is over 30 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2.

There is a wide range of ill-health found in heavily fracked areas. Many children get intense itching, skin ailments as well as recurring nosebleeds.

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There is a pattern of headaches, drowsiness, worsening asthma and neurological problems which resolve on leaving the area and return when exposed again. Fracking sand is so fine that it blows in the wind and is breathed deep into the lungs causing scarring, breathlessness and gives an increased risk of lung cancer. The radioactive radon gas released from deep underground, is also a potent source of lung cancer. Over 300,000 homes in Pennsylvania are over the state maximum recommended level.

The Public Health England report gave fracking a clean bill of health but only had a narrow scope and adverse events have emerged since its publication.

Benzene and other airborne gases have been found in abundance above fracking sites. Benzene causes leukaemia, other gases are neurotoxic or have unwanted impacts. We don’t yet know what the toxic agent is that is causing adverse pregnancy impacts but reports from two states in USA show a wide range of pregnancy and new-born disasters within a five-mile radius of fracking wells.

While not wishing to cause alarm or fear, when a peer-reviewed report raises an issue of concern, the appropriate response would be to pause in our “dash” and check to see if the results are correct, then repeat the science to be certain. Many chemicals associated with the industry are hormone interrupters, which, in small amounts, can have major impacts on our internal fine-tuning. Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to toxins.

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Some illnesses take years to develop and in particular cancers will not declare themselves for decades.

This method of gas extraction is very new. We should look to the experience in other countries before plunging in.

Our engineers are confident they can do a better and cleaner job but evidence has been published recently in California which shows fracking, even with very tight regulation, does have “the potential to cause significant and unavoidable impacts” listing a range of unwelcome issues. Many will recall the reassurances from the tobacco industry. Many of the risks deliver harm to our treasured wildlife, to the environment and to our young children and grandchildren. Hardly surprising that so many of those concerned about this industrialisation of the countryside are grey-haired and retired. We wish to preserve our countryside for our successors and keep them from unnecessary harm.

While California finds it cannot mitigate the harmful impacts, we can – not by engineering, but by finding an alternative source of carbon-free, renewable energy.

Tim Thornton is a GP who has worked for 30 years in Ryedale. He is hosting a discussion on the health impacts of fracking at Lady Lumley’s School, Pickering, on July 29 from 6.30pm.