Researchers from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the University of Southern California has found that pregnant women who live within a three mile radius of flaring sitesare at a 50% higher risk of giving birth prematurely.
Flaring is the burning off excess natural gas.
They looked at 23,487 single births to women living within the Eagle Ford Shale between 2012 and 2015.
Chrysta Castañeda, Democratic candidate for Texas Railroad commissioner campaigned to end flaring. "This is a great example of how we're letting out of control operations mess with Texas. We just need to prevent the waste, and the violation of the laws that have been in place for 100 years."Castaneda says premature births lead to increased health costs and increased societal costs.
The study noted 55% of the women in the study identified as Latina or Hispanic, and the risk for preterm birth among Hispanic women exposed to high levels of flaring was greater than it was for non-Hispanic white women, who made up 37% of the study.Casteneda adds flaring can cause asthma and other lung conditions.
Read more about the study here.