"Warning: Oil and Gas Development May Be Hazardous To Your Health"

"As more people find themselves living near oil and gas wells, scientists scramble to fully understand the health risks."

"Every medical student learns this much Latin: primum non nocere: “First, do no harm.”

For centuries, all newly minted physicians have taken the Hippocratic Oath before treating any patients. This central tenet dictates that a practitioner follow two mandates: to strive to do good, or at least do no harm.

It appears to some scientists, politicians and residents that Colorado’s top medical officials, tasked with protecting residents’ health, never received the memo.

Many residents on the Front Range fear that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), especially Dr. Larry Wolk, the department’s executive director and chief medical officer, are violating this fundamental pillar of the medical profession when it comes to protecting the public from the known and potential health impacts of oil and gas development. Some scientists who study air emissions and health impacts associated with living near unconventional oil and gas operations also question whether the health department is following basic principles of scientific integrity."

Susan Moran reports for the Boulder Weekly May 18, 2017.