/science-and-the-fracking-boom-missing-answers A natural gas boom is underway in the U.S., with more than 200,000 wells drilled in the last decade.In states like Colorado, Texas, and Pennsylvania, residents who live close to the natural gas bonanza have the same questions: What kind of pollutants is the industrial activity putting into their water and air, and are those pollutants making them sick?NPR's science desk & KUNC explore why there aren't solid answers to those questions yet... en-US Copyright KUNC/Community Radio for Northern Colorado 2020 Sun, 21 Jul 2013 17:42:13 GMT /health/2013-07-21/cancer-concerns-with-colorados-drilling-fracking-boom A former president of the Colorado Medical Society calls the current hydraulic fracturing boom in the state鈥檚 oil and gas industry an 鈥渆xperiment in鈥� Sun, 21 Jul 2013 17:42:13 GMT /health/2013-07-21/cancer-concerns-with-colorados-drilling-fracking-boom David O. Williams /business/2012-09-29/the-spotlight-the-power-of-one-election-americas-energy-future The Obama and Romney campaigns agree on the necessity of mining America's energy resources, but they differ on exactly how to do it.The president鈥� Sat, 29 Sep 2012 20:45:46 GMT /business/2012-09-29/the-spotlight-the-power-of-one-election-americas-energy-future Alex Chadwick /environment/2012-08-20/garfield-county-teams-up-with-csu-to-study-natural-gas-emissions CSU researchers met with Garfield County commissioners today to discuss plans for a $1.76 million, three-year research project examining emissions鈥� Mon, 20 Aug 2012 22:23:10 GMT /environment/2012-08-20/garfield-county-teams-up-with-csu-to-study-natural-gas-emissions Grace Hood /environment/2012-05-30/fracking-opponents-want-a-spot-on-longmont-ballot Anti-fracking activists in Longmont are working to get a measure on the November ballot that would ban the controversial oil and gas drilling practice鈥� Wed, 30 May 2012 19:40:57 GMT /environment/2012-05-30/fracking-opponents-want-a-spot-on-longmont-ballot Kirk Siegler /npr-news/2012-05-17/pennsylvania-doctors-worry-over-fracking-gag-rule A new law grants doctors access to information about trade-secret chemicals used in natural gas drilling. Doctors say they need the information to treat patients who may have been exposed to chemicals. But the law also says doctors can't tell anyone else 鈥� not even other doctors 鈥� about what's in the formulas. Thu, 17 May 2012 21:30:00 GMT /npr-news/2012-05-17/pennsylvania-doctors-worry-over-fracking-gag-rule Susan Phillips /npr-news/2012-05-17/frackings-methane-trail-a-detective-story Four years ago, an atmospheric scientist near Boulder, Colo., stumbled on surprising air pollution data: The region's levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, were far higher than anyone would have expected. What was going on? The search for an answer led straight to the natural gas and oil fields of northern Colorado. Thu, 17 May 2012 07:24:00 GMT /npr-news/2012-05-17/frackings-methane-trail-a-detective-story Elizabeth Shogren /npr-news/2012-05-16/towns-effort-to-link-fracking-and-illness-falls-short Many residents of Dish, Texas, blame the fracking operations that surround their tiny town for a host of health problems 鈥� from nosebleeds to cancer. The former mayor was so scared, he left town. But scientists who've studied Dish say there's not enough evidence to link natural gas operations to any illness. Wed, 16 May 2012 20:14:00 GMT /npr-news/2012-05-16/towns-effort-to-link-fracking-and-illness-falls-short Jon Hamilton /npr-news/2012-05-16/medical-records-could-yield-answers-on-fracking Is fracking making people sick? The question has ignited a national debate. A proposed study in northern Pennsylvania could help resolve the issue. By mining more than 10 years' worth of patient records, researchers hope to better understand the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on health. Wed, 16 May 2012 07:04:00 GMT /npr-news/2012-05-16/medical-records-could-yield-answers-on-fracking Jon Hamilton /npr-news/2012-05-15/close-encounters-with-gas-well-pollution Hundreds of thousands of natural gas wells have sprung up across the country. In Garfield County, Colo., the drilling rigs are so close to homes that some people call them "Close Encounters." When the gas boom began a decade ago, residents began asking: Is it safe to live this close? Their quest for answers became too polarizing to pursue. Tue, 15 May 2012 19:31:00 GMT /npr-news/2012-05-15/close-encounters-with-gas-well-pollution Elizabeth Shogren /npr-news/2012-05-15/sick-from-fracking-doctors-patients-seek-answers Mysterious fumes wafting in from outside have repeatedly sickened several nurses at a rural Pennsylvania health clinic, forcing the clinic to temporarily relocate. Like many other people living near gas wells around the country, the clinic's staff wonder whether the industry in their backyard is making them sick. Tue, 15 May 2012 07:03:00 GMT /npr-news/2012-05-15/sick-from-fracking-doctors-patients-seek-answers Rob Stein