YouTube is still processing this 2 hour 35 minute video into 1080 HD format, of last night's long-awaited study results on fracking health in many of our southwest Pennsylvania counties.
Low-light conditions didn't help the video image quality any, but the audio quality improves after the first few minutes, once the venue's volume was increased. Final processing to High-Definition may improve some of that, once YouTube finishes 'chewing' on the big (16.4 GB) MP4 video file.
Audience comments were the highlight of the evening in my opinion, and the link below takes you to their beginning at the 39:43 mark, starting with retired Post-Gazette reporter Dave Templeton, who probably knows this overall topic better than anyone else.
At the 53:50 mark we hear from Dr. Ned Ketyer, who remarks that the study's asthma findings are a 'bombshell.'
You'll also hear from two mothers, Janice Blanock who lost her son Luke to Ewing sarcoma, and another mother whose son survived Ewing sarcoma.
It's important to note that the study years did NOT include the early years of Marcellus Shale fracking (2004-2009) when frac waste was being legally and openly dumped into our local rivers (tap water sources) through POTW's, widespread open and frequent flaring was taking place at well sites and the big gas plant near many local Ewing sarcoma cases. Our Washington County landscape was scarred and polluted by huge, toxic, frac waste pits, with a group of them resulting in the largest DEP fine ever. So how much did their study miss?
Scores of commenters last night made other key points and asked riveting questions, while the crowd (200?) remained civil. I still have to figure out their lymphoma findings, and study more of their data. Sounds like they leaned heavily on satellites for their 'averaged' air pollution data, while we see Pa DEP air quality data for shale gas production is completely missing before 2012 or 2013. Lets also never forget that this industry is "self reporting."
There were multiple media outlets and reporters there, including WTAE and WPXI television, WJPA radio, Reid Frazier of The Allegheny Front, and Karen Mansfield of the Observer-Reporter. Social media is probably also buzzing.
| | Presentation on Hydraulic Fracturing Epidemiology Research Studies 8-15-23 |
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