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By Dr. Jennifer Sedillo
Faculty Member, Public Health at American Public University

Public health generally takes second stage to many issues during the presidential candidate debates. However, with the passage of the Affordable Care Act during President Barack Obama’s administration, health reform has become a large issue, especially within the Republican debates.

Other topics in public health have become prominent, even though they are not framed as public health issues, including gun control and women’s reproductive health. In addition, the Veterans Affairs health administration and mental health concerns have been mentioned during the debates. All of these subjects are important concerns in public health, and it is important to know where each candidate stands on these essential issues.

Environmental health issues are not typically a major theme among the debates either. The energy sector in this country is large as the demands for power in this country are large. Therefore, there are high stakes in both the regulation and production of energy. Two issues that have made an appearance in the debates, albeit not very often, have been greenhouse gas emissions and hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’. These are two issues that are much more important than the time given to them in the debates.

Climate Change
Climate change is a serious public health issue and some candidates believe that regulations aimed at curbing climate change are more of a burden on business and economic development than a benefit to the people of the country. Although in politics it may seem that climate change and global warming is still a debated topic, in the scientific community, the evidence is overwhelming that climate change is happening at an accelerated pace due to human influences. Because of this overwhelming body of evidence, many policies have been aimed at reducing anthropogenic effects on climate.

The cap and trade program was first introduced into the U.S. through the 1990 Clean Air Act. In this program, there are set caps on the amount of emissions that can be produced by U.S. manufacturers, specifically sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides. In order for manufacturers to release these pollutants into the air, they must purchase a credit that allows them to emit a certain amount. Manufacturers and the public are allowed to buy, sell, and trade these credits. These programs have proven to work to reduce air pollution in the United States. At least one candidate has publicly promised that if elected president, would repeal the cap and trade program (Marco Rubio, Jan. 28, 2016 Presidential Candidate Debate).

Currently, President Obama has laid out a new rule in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that takes the Clean Air Act further to continue to reduce carbon emissions. The Clean Power Plan is fiercely opposed by coal companies and more than half of the states have sued the government to stop the implementation of this plan. The rule went into effect on Dec. 22, 2015; however, the U.S. Supreme Court just ruled in favor of the states, which means the rule will not be implemented and instead legal actions follow.

Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing of rock formations to release natural gas or oil reserves is called fracking. The process uses water, sand, and chemical-containing fluids to fracture the rock and enable the gas to escape. The chemicals used in the fluid include ones that are known health risks to humans. The EPA recently released a study that described the chemical makeup of the hydraulic fluid and it contains known water pollutants such as petroleum products, methanol, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Other studies have shown a significant risk to water contamination of drinking water with gases, along with drinking water aquifers with methanol and ethanol contamination and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in ground and surface water. These studies indicate that the release of natural pollutants found in the rock formations as well as those found in the fluid used to fracture the rock are able to contaminate water sources used by the public.

Fracking is also associated with air pollution. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a study of airborne silica at the sites of hydraulic fracking, where possible employee exposure could lead to silicosis. This study found that 79 percent of samples tested were over the recommended limits of silica exposure set by NIOSH to ensure employee health and 31 percent were more than ten times above the standard set by NIOSH.

Another study found that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (an air pollutant) were elevated to a level beyond the EPA’s acceptable risk level. This demonstrates an occupational hazard at these sites and potential hazard to those living near fracking sites. The process of fracking requires further knowledge and regulation in order for fracking to continue without harm to human health. The American public and public health organizations are concerned about the potential air pollutants and water pollutants that are released during the fracking process. Public health groups in the U.K. have called for a moratorium on fracking until the process – and its environmental effects – can be studied and possible risks determined.

Fracking and climate change are only two of many important issues in environmental health and safety. It is important to know where each presidential candidate stands on these issues and what support if they are to become the next President of the United States. Certainly some politicians have taken a clear stance on the issue such as Governor Cuomo of New York who banned fracking in New York in 2014, and that was recently supported in 2015 with the release of a 7-year study that concluded reasonable risk exists. Many others are opposed to any regulation by the government on energy production and manufacturing in the United States.

About the Author

Jennifer Sedillo is an associate professor in the Public Health program at American Public University. She recently received her doctorate from the University of South Florida where she was involved in infectious disease research. She has been involved in biomedical and environmental microbiology research for the past 12 years.