Pa. Department of Health offers advice to Marcellus Shale Commission

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has made these recommendations to the Marcellus Shale Commission:

The department should establish a system to provide for a timely and thorough investigation of and response to concerns/complaints raised by citizens, health-care providers or public officials.

The department should be routinely evaluating and assessing environmental data collected regarding Marcellus Shale-related activities.

The department should be collecting and evaluating clinical data provided by health-care providers.

The department should be educating providers on the presentation and assessment of human illness that may be caused by material in drilling constituents (both the acute and chronic effects).

The department should be educating the public on the constituents used in the drilling process and whether they have the potential to cause human illness.

The department should either create or oversee the creation of a population-based health registry with the purpose of characterizing and following over time individuals who live in close proximity to a drilling site (e.g., within a 1-mile radius) or are occupationally exposed.