Philadelphia Medicine Fall/Winter 2019 - 18

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OPINION

THE PUBLIC HEALTH SIDE
OF FRACKING
By: Walter Tsou, MD, MPH

is obituary reads like this. Luke Michael Blanock, 19, of drilled over the Marcellus Shale which is the biggest change in the
Cecil, Pa., succumbed to his courageous three-year battle area in the past decade.
with Ewing's sarcoma Sunday, August 7, 2016, in his home,
On October 7, a community meeting by the state health departsurrounded by his loving family. Born Tuesday, April 1, 1997, in ment in Canonsburg reported that this is not a cancer cluster although
Pittsburgh, he was a son of Kurt and Janice Graham Blanock. He audience members presented cases of Ewing that were never counted
was a member of St. Mary Parish, where he was an altar server and in the state's epidemiological study. No matter. Despite actual Ewing
member of the youth group. He was a 2016 graduate of Canon-Mc- patients who spoke, the state health department closed the meeting
Millan High School, where he was captain of the basketball team, with 50 people still in line ready to ask questions at the microphone.
a pitcher on the baseball team and a member of Spanish Club and The state health department was remarkably unhelpful, stating that
National Honor Society.
their current analysis showed no cancer cluster and they could not
He worked at Vocelli Pizza in Canonsburg and was an entrepreneur, justify any effort to conduct an independent study.
selling on Craigslist.
Pennsylvania, where oil was first discovered in Titusville, is a

Surviving are his soulmate and wife of five months, Natalie
Britvich Blanock of Canonsburg and Cecil; parents Janice and Kurt
Blanock of Cecil; sister Carla (Adam) Marratto Cumming.

veritable energy powerhouse. Our long history of coal mining and
now, shale gas drilling, using unconventional drilling, using hydraulic
fracturing of the shale (otherwise known as fracking) has made
Pennsylvania
the second largest state producer of gas in the United
Luke, still a teenager, was one of six students diagnosed with
States.
Not
surprisingly,
politicians have embraced fracking in our
Ewing sarcoma in the Canon-McMillan High School District in
state
as
the
new
energy
producer
for the nation. And the gas industry
Washington County in the past decade. Only 200 cases of Ewing
has
embraced
the
state
legislature,
donating more than $67 million
sarcoma are diagnosed nationwide annually, so the presence of so many
in
political
contributions
to
both
parties over the past eight years.
cases in one school district should disturb all physicians in our state.
Are we surprised that the Republican majority state legislature and
It gets worse. In addition to the six students living with Ewing the Democratic governor both embrace the gas industry?
sarcoma in the Canon-McMillan district, 10 other rare childhood
Pennsylvania is even more "blessed" because our gas wells,
cancers have been diagnosed since 2008. The neighboring Fort
especially
in the western oart of the state, produce "wet" gas, which
Cherry School District has had 7 students with rare cancers and
carries
not
only methane, the chief ingredient of fracked wells, but
the Bethlehem Center School District has another 12 diagnosed
also
"natural
gas liquids" like ethane, propane, butane, etc. These
cancers. It begs the question - what is going on?
liquid by-products of wells can be hydrogenated under extreme heat
Washington County, Pennsylvania, is at the epicenter of fracking to produce ethylene, propylene, butadiene, etc. These volatile and
with well pads, pipelines, compressor stations and heavy diesel traffic. highly reactive compounds are the precursors to plastics.
Residents of Washington County have a strong suspicion that Ewing
sarcoma is related to the myriad number of new gas wells being
18 Philadelphia Medicine : Fall/Winter 2019

Philadelphia Medicine Fall/Winter 2019

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