Comparing The Similarities Between Food Waste And Fracking

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In this essay, I will be comparing the similarities between food waste and fracking. Food waste is the squandering of quality food. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous, and occur at the stages of production, processing, retailing and consumption. Fracking is the injection of fluid into shale beds at high pressure to free up petroleum resources. Obviously, they are two completely different topics. However, they show similarities in many of the same issues. The issue that this essay will address, is the effects that both fracking and food waste have on the economy and on natural resources.
Food waste and fracking share many of the same economic effects. Food waste amounts to roughly US$ 680 billion in industrialized countries and US$ …show more content…

However, while the effects of food waste are obvious, the effects of fracking are long term and are therefore not as visible. There is, however, an obvious negative cycle that can be caused by fracking. Fracking can cause many health issues for the people working by the site as well as for the people residing near the site. A recent study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that homes located in suburban and rural areas near fracking sites have an overall radon concentration 39 percent higher than those located in non-fracking urban areas. The study included almost 2 million radon readings taken between 1987 and 2013 done in over 860,000 buildings from every county, mostly homes. The waste fluid left over from the fracking process is left in open-air pits to evaporate, which releases dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere. Exposure to diesel particulate matter, hydrogen sulfide, and volatile hydrocarbons can lead to a host of health problems, including asthma, headaches, high blood pressure, anemia, heart attacks and cancer. It can also have a damaging effect on immune and reproductive systems, as well as fetal and child development. A 2014 study conducted by the Colorado Department of Environmental and Occupational Health found that mothers who live near fracking sites are 30 percent more likely to have babies with congenital heart defects. Research from Cornell University indicates an increased prevalence of low birth weight and reduced APGAR scores in infants born to mothers living near fracking sites in Pennsylvania. This causes many people, who have the financial mean, to move from areas where there is fracking. A 2010 study in Texas concluded that houses valued at more than $250,000 and within 1,000 feet of a well site saw values decrease by 3 to 14

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