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A new law [4] passed in Pennsylvania will allow doctors to access information about chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, but will restrict them from sharing that information with their patients.

The environmental and public health effects of tapping unconventional gas reservoirs through the "fracking" process have been a topic of serious concern [5] in the United States.  Pennsylvania sits on a major swath of the Marcellus Shale, America's bastion of natural gas. 

With the implementation of this new law, the public health and environmental community fear doctors will be "gagged" and individuals will remain ignorant to the cause of their condition and the potential dangers [6] of unconventional natural gas extraction.

The new law states companies must disclose the identity and amount of chemicals used in fracking fluids to any medical physician that requests it in order to diagnosis a patient.  However, the health professionals must sign a confidentiality agreement stating they will not share the information with anyone else, including their patients.

Fracking fluids can include toxic chemicals like toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, and benzene.  Exposure to these chemicals can adversely effect human health and lead to ailments such as headaches, dizziness, and cancer.

As Walter Tsou, president of the PHiladelphia chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility says, "What is the big secret her that they're unwilling to tell people, unless they know that if people found out what's really in these chemicals, they would be outraged?

Read the full story at Mother Jones:  For Pennsylvania's Doctors, a Gag Order on Fracking Chemicals [7]

Image credit: The U.S. Army [8] via Flickr