YP Letters: Be wary of health risks linked with fracking

YOUR correspondent David Schofield of Garforth suggested in his recent letter “that we should begin fracking as soon as possible in a designated site with the operation being closely monitored by people from both sides of the argument”.

I am not sure if the gentleman is aware that at the moment there is a recommended 500m buffer zone between homes and a fracking well site. Perhaps he would be quite happy for this “designated site” to be 500m from his home or from his local school. However this is not something that I, and many other people, would be happy about.

I would also like to point out that it may be many years before serious health and environmental issues comes to light. My father worked with asbestos which, at the time, was viewed to be safe. Sadly, many years later, the truth was learned and many of my father’s work colleagues died of asbestosis.

The same could be said of cigarette smoking. The first pack of 20 is unlikely to give you lung cancer. Does that mean we should assume there are no health risks to smoking and, therefore, encourage the whole population to take up the habit?

If this happened with fracking, it will be a case of closing the stable door when the horse has well and truly bolted.