title: Childhood cancer incidence in Pennsylvania counties in relation to living in counties with hydraulic fracturing sites.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate whether childhood cancer incidence is associated with counties with hydraulic fracturing (HF).
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared cancer incidence in children in Pennsylvania counties before and after HF drilling began, using standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total number of cancers observed was close to expected both before drilling began (SIR = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90 to 0.99) and after drilling (SIR = 1.02; 95% CI, 0.98 to 1.07) for counties with oil and natural gas wells. Analyses for childhood leukemia were also unremarkable (SIR for leukemia before drilling = 0.97 [95% CI, 0.88 to 1.06]; SIR for leukemia after drilling = 1.01 [95% CI, 0.92 to 1.11]). A slightly elevated SIR was found for central nervous system tumors after drilling (SIR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.25). This was because of a slight excess in those counties with the fewest number of wells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study offers comfort concerning health effects of HF on childhood cancers.
authors.affiliation: EpidStat Institute, Ann Arbor, MI 43105, USA.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fryzek
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pastula
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Garabrant
mesh_terms: D016543:Central Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D059206:Natural Gas; D061329:Oil and Gas Fields; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D018426:SEER Program
chemical_list: D059206:Natural Gas