Photo by MrPessimist/flickr
by Allyson Green Loud noises!!!!! Photo by MrPessimist/flickr What do you get when you strike oil in a small town? Well, that bubbling crude could produce everything from a few millionaires, a boost to the economy, a population boom, the potential for contaminated groundwater, and, of course, more fuel. Small towns across the US are experiencing these changes thanks to “fracking” (hydraulic fracturing) technology that allows us to drill horizontally through underground rock and reach more oil and gas deposits more efficiently than in the past. Last month’s National Geographic cover story sums up the dilemma of the oil and gas industry quite nicely: “Benefits from the oil boom are being widely dispersed…The costs, by contrast, are localized.” In laying out these benefits and costs visually and through narrative, as only National Geographic can, the article weaves together stories and science focusing on northwest North Dakota. Many of these stories have already been documented, but some of the science is still lacking. As new studies investigating public health and fracking are getting underway, I’m eager to hear about one often overlooked aspect: noise pollution. While it’s not quite as sexy as flaming tap-water, noise pollution in oil and gas boom towns is one of those localized costs that brings with it some uncertain public health concerns. From construction activity to truck traffic, the potential for noise is unquestionable. The impact of that noise, however, is something we’re still figuring out. The Potential
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