Frack This
8th July 2016
About a year ago there was the usual fanfare about a new study that purported to show that hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) for natural gas led to unsafe levels of local air pollution and increased cancer risk. Newsweek covered it, for example:
Living near to active fracking sites could increase the risk of cancer as the process harmful chemicals into the air, a new study has found.
Researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) and the University of Cincinnati found that hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, releases polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are linked to cancers and respiratory diseases.
The study found that moving just one mile away from active sites reduced the levels of the dangerous chemicals in the air by up to 30%.
Well guess what, mom? The study has been retracted. Not corrected or revised, but fully retracted because a “spreadsheet error” resulted in completely incorrect findings.