Living Close to Oil Wells Leads to Lower Birth Weights
New research from the University of California at Berkeley is the first broad-based study to examine local health impacts of drilling in the state.
A plow kicks up dust as it passes an oil well on August 12, 2004 near the town of Arvin, southeast of Bakersfield, California.
Photographer: David McNew/Getty Images North AmericaHumans have lived side by side with oil development for over a century, but it’s only recently that scientists started tracking the health consequences of that proximity. A new paper published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives shows that pregnant women in rural areas who lived within one kilometer of high-producing wells were 40% more likely to have low birth weight babies compared to those who lived further away.
Birth weights below 5 lbs. 8 oz. correlate with higher risk of health problems in early childhood, sometimes even carrying into adulthood.