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Approximately 18 million people in the U.S. live within a mile of active oil and gas wells that are known to release air pollutants and odors.

Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is an oil and gas extraction technique that involves injecting rocks with a mix of water, sand, and chemicals. It has become a hot button issue in the presidential election campaign in Pennsylvania. YSPH Associate Professor Nicole Deziel discusses the environmental and public health concerns associated with fracking.

Unitization, the pooling of parcels of land into a single unit for fracking purposes, has been legal in Ohio since 1965, however, the last decade has seen unitization orders surge to meet fracking demands. As fracking in Ohio surges, a Yale School of Public Health report has identified human health concerns associated with fracking.

When it is hotter outside, pesticides tend to evaporate faster, explains Nicole Deziel, an environmental health scientist at the Yale School of Public Health. This, in turn, impacts how much of the pesticide actually reaches the crop. Any that doesn’t usually sticks around in the air—and can travel miles offsite. Pesticide drift means that the toxic chemicals spread further than ever intended, affecting farmworkers and adjacent communities.

Yale School of Public Health researchers evaluate the association between exposure to hot temperatures during pregnancy and the risk of cancer in children.

Pennsylvania families worry about rising cases of rare cancer with fracking well pads near their homes and stalled House bills. YSPH Associate Professor Nicole Deziel shares her insights.

Reusing the lithium found in fracking wastewater as a component of longer-lasting batteries sounds like a worthy goal. However, it is important to ensure that the extraction process is done in a way that minimizes impact on the environment and public health, YSPH Associate Professor Nicole Deziel says in this news report.

Yale School of Public Health Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences) Nicole Deziel and Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) Amy Bei recently participated in the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) Emerging Leaders Forum in Washington D.C.

The process of fracking involves known carcinogens, and fracking has been linked to cancers in children and young adults, but it remains unclear whether fracking causes cancer. YSPH Associate Professor Nicole Deziel provides insight on the issue.