Deb Thomas, a researcher with the nonprofit Shale Test, monitored air pollution in Pavillion, Wyo.
Credit: Coming Clean

A new A new A new study brings researchers and environmental advocates closer than ever to tracing whether toxic chemicals spewing out of natural gas production sites are making their way into the bodies of people who live and work nearby.

The research, published last week, brought together for the first time air monitoring at oil and gas sites with what’s called biomonitoring—the tracking of what’s in human tissues or fluids. The results indicate harmful compounds were emitted from certain gas sites near the fracking town of Pavillion, Wyoming. Some of those chemicals, such as benzene and toluene, were then found in the air at surrounding farms and the analysis found traces in the urine of participants in the study.

The study was small (11 participants) and not peer-reviewed, but the findings suggest gas emissions were probably making their way into […]