Three University of Colorado Medical Campus researchers released a new study on Wednesday that suggests mothers who live near oil and gas development while pregnant have a 40% to 70% higher chance of their child having birth defects compared to children who aren't born in high development areas.

Between 2005 and 2011 the researchers studied more than 3,000 Colorado babies born with different heart defects.

Then, they looked into where the children were born with relative location to high density oil and gas operations.

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Svetl. Tebenkova
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Lisa McKenzie, PhD, MPS:

“My message to women that are pregnant living near these sites is that they might want to discuss these findings with their doctor."

 

Colorado Oil and Gas Association President Dan Haley responded to the study by telling The Denver Channel it used old data and that McKenzie’s studies, including this one, were misleading.

“After thousands of air samples, many of which have been collected near oil and gas operations, not one exceeds state or federal protective health guidelines. Dr. McKenzie’s studies have been called ‘misleading in the past, and this seems to be part for the course.”

Source: The Denver Channel

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