MIAMI - Living near sites that extract natural gas by hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, may increase the risk of asthma up to four times, a US study said Monday. Most asthma attacks they suffered -- nearly 21,000 in all -- were mild, requiring a corticosteroid prescription. The researchers found more than 35,000 asthma patients aged from five to 90. "Those who lived closer to a large number or bigger active natural gas wells were significantly more likely -- 1.5 to four times more likely -- to suffer asthma attacks," the study said. Asthma is a chronic disease that can be made worse by outdoor air pollution, stress and sleep disruption -- all of which have been linked to unconventional natural gas development in previous studies.

Source: Bangkok Post July 18, 2016 15:11 UTC