Dear Governor Wolf,

As doctors, nurses, researchers, and other health professionals, we are deeply concerned about the growing threat that hydraulic fracturing (known as fracking) poses to public health in Pennsylvania.

Fracking operations use toxic chemicals, generating millions of gallons of wastewater that can be laced with cancer-causing and even radioactive material. The fracking process also releases harmful pollutants into the air we breathe, including asthma-inducing irritants and carcinogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

These toxins put Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable populations – particularly children – at heightened risk. Because children are still undergoing developmental changes, their respiratory, immune, and nervous systems are especially susceptible to permanent damage from fracking chemicals. This is amplified by the fact that children spend considerably more time outdoors than adults, increasing their exposure to harmful fracking pollution.

Across Pennsylvania, children are spending significant parts of their days in the shadow of fracking. Hundreds of fracking wells have been permitted within one mile of schools and daycare centers throughout the state, putting children on the frontlines of the intensive industrial activities that accompany this dangerous drilling practice. Further, hundreds of environmental violations have occurred at these facilities, thus intensifying the risk that fracking poses to children in the Commonwealth.

We strongly believe that fracking activities must be kept away from the places where our children live, learn, and play. To this end, we are calling on you to establish a mandatory one-mile setback zone from schools, playgrounds, and day care centers.

As health experts, we are eager to lend our expertise to this pressing issue. We know that with your help, we can tackle this threat to our communities.

Sincerely,

Donald Abramowitz Sadia Akhtar Kristeen Alaz Environmental Health and Public Health Student Pre-Medical Student Safety Officer Temple University Thomas Jefferson University Bryn Mawr College

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