Fracking is so commonplace in Butler County no one even notices it anymore. We see well pads everywhere we look: beside schools, hospitals, residential areas, and often in people’s backyards.

What many in Butler may not know is that fracking became popular in Southwestern PA several years before the practice became widespread in our area. And now, Washington, Fayette, Greene, and Westmoreland County residents and their children may be paying the price.

As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, at least 27 cases of the rare childhood cancer Ewing Sarcoma have been diagnosed in these counties “flush with gas drilling and other environmental pollution.” In May of this year, these potential cancer clusters were investigated by the state Health Department with “inconclusive results.” Given the seriousness of these health concerns, the newspaper’s Editorial Board has rightly demanded more attention and research by state and federal officials.

On Saturday Sept. 28, Dr. Ned Ketyer, a Pittsburgh-based pediatrician who specializes in preventative medicine and environmental health, will present information about local and regional health impacts currently experienced by Western Pennsylvania residents. Dr. Ketyer will be joined by Laura Dagley, a registered nurse and medical advocacy coordinator for Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Join Marcellus Outreach Butler and other concerned citizens at the Butler County Public Library on Sept. 28 for “From Wellhead to Ethane Cracker: How Fracking for Plastics Harms our Health.” This presentation is free, open to the public, and begins at 1 p.m.

Connie Fleeger

Butler