Michelle Bamberger, a veterinarian, and Robert Oswald, a professor of molecular medicine at Cornell University, have teamed up to investigate the toxic dangers of fracking — the extraction of natural gas by hydraulic fracturing — for humans, animals, and the environment. They address two core questions in our energy needy world. We have to find new sources of energy but at what cost to the natural world? Who should bear the burdens of this quest and who should make sacrifices to make it happen?
This heart-rending book contains many stories from people in Pennsylvania who have been poisoned by polluted air and contaminated water sources after fracking in their areas. Farmers, retired persons, and everyday families speak about symptoms of "shale gas syndrome." Many individuals who have worked the land for 40 years now worry that the land will never be good again. There are also accounts of deaths of pets and livestock.
Bamberger and Oswald point out that fracking companies have not been required to reveal the chemicals used in their drilling operations. These large companies must be regulated as soon as possible. They should also pay the cost of the rampant illnesses caused by fracking. What they cannot replace is the dream of a safe place to call home and raise a family.
