Environmental Health Project Provides Resources for Those Affected by Fracking

From the SW PA Environmental Health Project (http://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/):

The Environmental Health Project (EHP) is a nonprofit, evidence-based, public health organization that assists and supports residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania and beyond who are being impacted by unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD, or “fracking”).

Like your organization, EHP shares the same goals and serves the same communities of citizens who live in areas impacted by the environmental health harms emanating from shale gas development. EHP has developed materials to benefit both the residents who reach out for help and health care providers who need guidance in caring for people exposed to toxic industrial emissions. We seek your help in distributing them to those in need.

These materials include:

— Enhancing Health in PA Toolbox

For use by residents who live near unconventional shale oil and gas development (UOGD). Contains resources to help them cope with medical, environmental, legal, economic, and practical challenges they face on a daily basis. The materials in this toolbox include:

• Illustrated Stages of UOGD: Examining the potential for ground/surface water and air contamination
• Protecting Your Health from UOGD
• Quick Reference Card
• Tips for Talking to Your Health Care Provider: Concerns about UOGD or “Fracking”
• Where to Turn Resource Directory

http://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/resources/research-factsheets

— Citizen Science Toolkit

Instructs how to track health symptoms that are appearing today, as well as provide data for evaluating the longer-term health impacts of fracking. Also shares tips on mitigating or limiting exposure.

http://environmentalhealthproject.org/citizen-science-toolkit

— Health Effects Registry

Documents the effects of shale gas development on public health. All residents living in the Marcellus or Utica Shale regions and/or near compressor sites are encouraged to register.

http://environmentalhealthproject.org/health-effect-registry

— Environmental Health Channel

Explores data on a geographical basis, both shared by affected residents and collected by EHP. The data includes health symptoms, particulate pollution (PM2.5) air measurements, and personal stories from residents in areas impacted by oil and gas drilling.

http://envhealthchannel.org/

— Medical Toolkit for Healthcare Providers

Raises awareness among physicians and other healthcare providers of health impacts related to exposures to emissions emanating from shale gas infrastructure that exists in the zip codes where their patients live, work, learn, and play. This toolkit includes:

• An overview of key environmental health concepts and best practice guidelines for practitioners
• A proposed case definition.
• A table illustrating potential health effects due to inhalation of emissions from shale gas operations.
• Reference materials for diagnostic coding.
• A self-reported survey of potential exposures for use by patients prior to an office visit with a provider.

http://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/healthcare-providers/medical-toolbox

— EHP Factsheets, technical papers, and other materials and resources

http://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/resources/research-factsheets

All of these items are available on our website (www.environmentalhealthproject.org). We encourage you to copy and distribute them to the people living in the communities you serve — communities being impacted by industrial emissions from shale oil and gas development and transportation.

We are also available to meet in person to review the information contained in the toolkits and to assist you if we can. We’d like you to consider EHP as your preferred source of evidence-based information, research, and guidance as we seek to make connections between environmental health and human health. We ask that you like or share our posts on Facebook; of course, we will do the same with your organization’s Facebook page. In fact, Facebook is an excellent way to keep each other apprised of the work we are doing, share information, and collaborate on projects that propel our common goals forward.

All of us at EHP, which includes medical professionals, community service professionals, and public health scientists, are excited to share these materials we have developed with you to help benefit the communities that so badly need our help.

Thanks for your dedication, passion and resolve.