About

The DOH and Pitt held a public meeting and released the studies results (Public Source)

During the DOH’s quarterly meeting with Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Environmental Health Project, DOH staff share that they and the University of Pittsburgh intend to hold a community meeting on the research on June 5, 2023, pending venue availability, and there will be a media advisory and information on the DOH website about it (Environmental Health Project).

During the DOH’s quarterly meeting with the Environmental Health Project and Physicians for Social Responsibility, the DOH shares that it may hold the meeting in March, but cannot commit because Pitt researchers are still working on the study summary documents, which would need to be completed first (Environmental Health Project).

During the DOH’s quarterly meeting with the Environmental Health Project and Physicians for Social Responsibility, the DOH shares that the University of Pittsburgh researchers sent draft reports to the DOH that week, and that the DOH was reviewing. DOH staff say they are working with venues to hold a public meeting to discuss findings of the studies during the week of December 12-16, 2022  (Environmental Health Project).

Non-profit groups hold the public meeting, despite the fact that the University of Pittsburgh and DOH pulled out (State Impact).

State Senator Camera Bartolotta sends a letter urging the Department of Health to pull out of the community meeting, due to its connection with non-profit groups (State Impact).

The University of Pittsburgh and the Department of Health pull out of the public meeting, citing the fact that study results are not available (Allegheny Front).

Four members of the External Advisory Board resign their positions largely due to that decision and cite the resistance they felt to promoting accountability and transparency in the research process (Center for Coalfield Justice).

The University of Pittsburgh posts its quarterly update, and shares that for the cancer study, data analyses will be completed shortly, and researchers will complete writing all reports in the final quarter of study progress. For the asthma and birth cohort studies, researchers are completing statistical analyses and writing the report of the results. This was the last update they posted, and as of July 2023, the University still had not published Q4 2022, Q1 2023, or Q2 2023 updates (Pitt).

External Advisory Board Meeting #5

The University of Pittsburgh and DOH meet with members of the External Advisory Board to plan a community meeting for October 5th, 2022 to update residents on the study’s progress, and non-profit groups (who have staff members on the External Advisory Board) begin to conduct outreach for the event (FracTracker Alliance).

During the DOH’s quarterly meeting with the Environmental Health Project and Physicians for Social Responsibility, the DOH confirms that it will have staff at the October 5th meeting to answer questions along with the University of Pittsburgh researchers (Environmental Health Project).

External Advisory Board Meeting #4 

Dr. Duckett, Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee with the DEP is added to the board

Dr. Logan Spector presents birth outcome health study

External Advisory Board Meeting #3 

David Allard presents overview of DEP’s TENORM study: This is right after Public Herald publishes article criticizing that study.

• EAB brings that study to the attention of the study team

External Advisory Board Meeting #2 

• David Allard, (then) Director of the PA DEP Bureau of Radiation Protection, joins EAB
• Study website becomes live: https://paenv.pitt.edu/
• Discussion of EAB questions 
  • Our big concerns were around the study including fracking waste exposure data and water pollution data, and how cancer cases were determined/the limitations of the PA Cancer Registry
• We learn that the study designs were already determined for approval by the IRB (Institutional Review Board) and that the EAB is for discussions of small modifications and exposure metrics/data sources

External Advisory Board Meeting #1 

• EAB Introductions and appoint co-chairs
• Background on the health studies:

1) CANCER: Case-control study using health records and interviews to examine possible associations of Ewing’s sarcoma and other childhood cancers with environmental exposures (oil and gas and other), diagnosed 2010-2019

2) ASTHMA: Uses medical records only to study associations between asthma (prescriptions, hospitalizations) and environmental exposures (oil and gas and other) 2011-2020

3) BIRTH OUTCOMES: Uses medical records only to study associations between birth outcomes (weight for term babies, Apgar score, preterm birth, small for gestational age) and environmental exposures (oil and gas and other) 2010-2020

Region: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland

DOH acting Secretary Allison Beam and colleagues visit Southwestern PA and attend a frackland tour. 

“PA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH MEETS WITH FAMILIES WHOSE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY RARE CANCERS”

“In a further effort to encourage the Department of Health (DOH) to gain a better understanding of the grief and turmoil among parents and people living in close proximity to fracking development, we asked the DOH to visit the region and meet with impacted families. On Tuesday, July 27th, representatives from the Department of Health including Acting Secretary Allison Beam joined us on a mini-bus tour around parts of Washington County to meet with residents whose children’s health has been impacted by fracking development. Many of the families have participated in research conducted by Kristina Marusic of Environmental Health News, which found that children living near well sites and fracking development had biomarkers in their bodies of harmful chemicals “at levels significantly higher than the average American,” some of which have reached points 91 times higher than the average American.”

The University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health is chosen to undertake the studies, which were originally planned to take up to three years to complete.

The University of Pittsburgh sends invitations to various stakeholders to join an External Advisory Board for the research, including health and environmental experts, staff members of non-profit groups (FracTracker Alliance, the Center for Coalfield Justice, and Physicians for Social Responsibility), as well as oil and gas industry-aligned groups such as Shell and American Petroleum Institute, and begins holding meetings with the Board (Pitt).

We held a virtual public meeting to update folks on where we were with the DOH campaign.

“140 RESIDENTS ATTENDED VIRTUAL TOWN HALL ON THE PA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH’S RESPONSE TO LOCAL CANCER CRISIS”

At this time, public health advocates provided an invitation to Secretary Rachel Levine and the DOH staff members to participate in a town hall regarding the state’s investigation of the health impacts of fracking. Community members in southwestern Pennsylvania are not receiving a response when they reach out to the DOH, nor are public health advocacy groups. The DOH refused to accept the request for implementing an investigations process overview panel and has yet to provide an alternative.

The Wolf Administration awards a $2.5 million contract to University of Pittsburgh to conduct the research (PA).

Our health advocacy groups meet with DOH for first time, including Dr. Rachel Levine. 

We made guidance requests for how we wanted the study to be conducted including a demand for an advisory board. 

Study Overview Process of PA UGD and SWPA Cancer Investigations

The Cancer Crisis Coalition arises out of a desire for community members to travel to Harrisburg and tell Governor Wolf to protect our children.

Southwestern Pa. Families Demand Gov. Wolf's Administration Investigate Rare Childhood Cancer

“HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The families of young people diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer confronted Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday over what they called his administration's insufficient response to a health crisis they blame on pollution from the shale gas industry.”

A few days later, the Wolf Administration announced their commitment to a study. 

“Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday his administration will spend $3 million on a pair of studies to explore the potential health effects of the natural gas industry, taking action after months of impassioned pleas by the families of pediatric cancer patients who live in the most heavily drilled region of the state.” 

Pennsylvania to fund research into fracking health dangers

DOH Holds meeting at Canon-McMillan High School 

Department of Health explains cancer cluster results; parents, concerned groups call on Gov. Wolf, DOH to investigate cancers

At this meeting, the DOH presented research that had errors in their data that they never updated. They were dismissive of community members, and they showed alarming statistics with little to no context.

“Janice Blanock, who broke down in tears, said, “We don’t know what caused our son’s cancer. However, taking into consideration the high numbers of rare cancers in Washington, Greene, Westmoreland and Fayette counties, 67 in the last 10 years, six of which were Ewing sarcoma cases in the Canon-McMillan School District, it should seem obvious to anyone with an ounce of common sense, sincere heartfelt concern, and true courage, that we need to be looking at environmental issues and triggers. If Gov. Wolf and our state representatives that we elected choose to ignore our pleas for an investigation, there most likely will be long-term negative effects on the health of our children, our grandchildren as well as our communities and the environment.” Continued Blanock, “I’m not a doctor, I’m not a scientist. I’m a mom. Something is wrong. I’m not sure, but they need to do something.”

EHP Holds Public Meeting in June of 2019, draws hundreds.

“A community meeting was held Tuesday for discussion about the frequent cases of rare Ewing tumors and other types of cancer being diagnosed in children and teenagers in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The more than two-hour meeting – which some 200 people attended – was organized by Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project and held at Bella Serra in Cecil Township.”

Parents call for halt on additional permits.

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette publishes The Human Toll, an investigation into cancer cases  in southwestern Pennsylvania, raising the profile of the issue (PPG).

The DOH releases the results of its investigation, announcing that it found no evidence of a cancer cluster for the Ewing’s family of tumors and childhood cancers in Washington County and Canon-McMillan School District, although it did find rates for some types of radiation-related cancer “were somewhat higher than expected.” (DOH).

State Rep. Tim O’Neal hosts a closed door meeting with elected officials, UPMC cancer experts and the Department of Environmental Protection on the issue, which was opened up to impacted families after pressure from advocacy groups like the Center for Coalfield Justice (PPG).

March 2019, David Templeton’s story in the PG “Are the 27 Cases of Ewings Sarcoma near Pittsburgh a Cluster?”  is released regarding rates of Ewings Sarcoma Cancer in the region.

Community members in the Canonsburg region speak out with concerns as many of Canon McMillan recent alumni, as well as young adults in the area, had been diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma in a short period of time. Templetons story draws the region together and shows that the issue of ewings sarcoma is not limited to the Canon McMillan school district.

WPXI reports on Ewing Sarcoma cases in the Canon McMillan School District, prompting the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) to investigate (WPXI).