When mothers live near fracking sites, babies are more likely to be born underweight

Children born near fracking sites are 25 percent more likely to weigh less than what is healthy at birth, according to a new study. Why this is happening isn’t clear, but the researchers believe that it might have to do with environmental pollution, which may have negative health effects on mothers — and their babies.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 1 million births in Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2013, before and after fracking began. Babies born to mothers living up to 1.8 miles from a fracking site were found to have poorer health, and babies born within 0.6 miles saw the largest impacts, according to a study published today in Science Advances. The findings could have implications for where fracking is authorized, and how close...

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