How Fracking Affects People, Pets, and Our Food

Across the country the extraction of natural gas by hydraulic fracturing—fracking—is expanding, and some people and communities are worried about its environmental consequences. Michelle Bamberger, a veterinarian, and Robert Oswald, a pharmacologist, look at the effects associated with hydraulic fracturing on people, pets, and livestock. They talk about interviewing families living near fracking sites who have report symptoms such as severe fatigue, nose bleeds, and difficulty breathing. In The Real Cost of Fracking: How America's Shale Gas Boom Is Threatening Our Families, Pets, and Food, Bamberger and Oswald argue that examining effects on animals can identify new methods to minimize unhealthy exposure in the human population.