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The Fracking Boom: Missing Answers
Trucks, water tanks and fracking equipment amassed on a gas pad near the town of Silt and the Grand Hogback Mountain Range.

Trucks, water tanks and fracking equipment amassed on a gas pad near the town of Silt and the Grand Hogback Mountain Range. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption David Gilkey/NPR

'Close Encounters' With Gas Well Pollution

Hundreds of thousands of natural gas wells have sprung up across the country. In Garfield County, Colo., the drilling rigs are so close to homes that some people call them "Close Encounters." When the gas boom began a decade ago, residents began asking: Is it safe to live this close? Their quest for answers became too polarizing to pursue.

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Plastic surgeon Amy Pare says it's important for doctors to know what kind of substances patients she's treating might have been exposed to.

Plastic surgeon Amy Pare says it's important for doctors to know what kind of substances patients she's treating might have been exposed to. Susan Philips/WHYY hide caption

itoggle caption Susan Philips/WHYY

Pennsylvania Doctors Worry Over Fracking 'Gag Rule'

A new law grants doctors access to information about trade-secret chemicals used in natural gas drilling. Doctors say they need the information to treat patients who may have been exposed to chemicals. But the law also says doctors can't tell anyone else — not even other doctors — about what's in the formulas.

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William Reigle has fibrosis, a disease that may be aggravated by nearby fracking. He's one of more than 2 million Pennsylvanians who get their health care from Geisinger Health System. The system wants to use its extensive database of patient records to study the health impact of natural gas production.

William Reigle has fibrosis, a disease that may be aggravated by nearby fracking. He's one of more than 2 million Pennsylvanians who get their health care from Geisinger Health System. The system wants to use its extensive database of patient records to study the health impact of natural gas production. Maggie Starbard/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Maggie Starbard/NPR

Medical Records Could Yield Answers On Fracking

Is fracking making people sick? The question has ignited a national debate. A proposed study in northern Pennsylvania could help resolve the issue. By mining more than 10 years' worth of patient records, researchers hope to better understand the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on health.

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Demand for natural gas has created a hydraulic fracturing or fracking boom; since 2008 over 5,000 new wells have been drilled nationwide. Workers at Chesapeake Energy, one of the biggest gas companies conducting fracking, are seen on the job site near Towanda, PA.

Demand for natural gas has created a hydraulic fracturing or fracking boom; since 2008 over 5,000 new wells have been drilled nationwide. Workers at Chesapeake Energy, one of the biggest gas companies conducting fracking, are seen on the job site near Towanda, PA. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption David Gilkey/NPR

With Gas Boom, Pennsylvania Fears New Toxic Legacy

Industry has ruined a lot of Pennsylvania's water. Coal mining companies hammered the state, leaving behind acidic water that turned thousands of miles of streams into dead zones. People in the state are looking for ways to make sure the fracking boom doesn't deal another blow to its water.

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A working gas well head is fenced in just opposite of a home in Dish, Texas. Dish is about 30 miles north of Fort Worth.

A working gas well head is fenced in just opposite of a home in Dish, Texas. Dish is about 30 miles north of Fort Worth. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption David Gilkey/NPR

Town's Effort To Link Fracking And Illness Falls Short

Many residents of Dish, Texas, blame the fracking operations that surround their tiny town for a host of health problems — from nosebleeds to cancer. The former mayor was so scared, he left town. But scientists who've studied Dish say there's not enough evidence to link natural gas operations to any illness.

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A natural gas drilling rig's lights shimmer in the evening light near Silt, Colo.

A natural gas drilling rig's lights shimmer in the evening light near Silt, Colo. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption David Gilkey/NPR

Fracking's Methane Trail: A Detective Story

Four years ago, an atmospheric scientist near Boulder, Colo., stumbled on surprising air pollution data: The region's levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, were far higher than anyone would have expected. What was going on? The search for an answer led straight to the natural gas and oil fields of northern Colorado.

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Workers move a section of well casing into place at a natural gas drilling rig near Burlington, Pa. The industry is expected to drill as many as 10,000 new wells in the next few years.

Workers move a section of well casing into place at a natural gas drilling rig near Burlington, Pa. The industry is expected to drill as many as 10,000 new wells in the next few years. Ralph Wilson/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Ralph Wilson/AP

As Natural Gas Fracking Expands, Water Worries Mount

Pennsylvania is at the center of a natural gas boom. But getting to the fuel requires a process called hydraulic fracturing that pumps water and chemicals far underground. One scientist is trying to find whether that's causing the high methane levels found in water near some gas wells.

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