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Awards | Brochures | Events | CHEC in the News: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005


Archives - CHEC in the News

2012

The Pennsylvania gas law fails to protect public health

Our legislators punted when it was time to protect us, say Pitt experts Drs. Bernard Goldstein and Jill Kriesky — Gov. Tom Corbett recently signed a bill that goes beyond just ignoring concerns about the potential human health effects of Marcellus Shale drilling, it retains some of the worst aspects of industry secrecy about proprietary hydrofracking chemicals while making unethical demands on physicians. Read more»

2011

Medical experts meet today in Hershey to discuss health impacts of gas drilling

State medical care providers aren't sure exactly what health risks they may find associated with natural gas drilling, but they say that's all the more reason to begin compiling data now. Shale drilling and its impacts will be a key topic this morning as several hundred of the commonwealth's doctors gather for the Pennsylvania Medical Society's annual meeting in Hershey. Three researchers, including the University of Pittsburgh's Samantha Malone, are scheduled to talk about the science behind hydraulic fracturing and a current study on drilling effects in the state's northeastern region. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (10/15/11) - Read more»

Doctors Ask New York to Study Health Impacts Before Allowing Fracking

A group of doctors, nurses and environmentalists is calling on New York officials to study the health risks of gas drilling before allowing hydraulic fracturing in the state. - ProPublica (10/6/11) - Read more»

Heinz Endowment to move gas fracking research

The Heinz Endowment is looking for a new home for some of its Marcellus Shale gas research programs at the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Healthy Environments and Communities, endowment officials told The Associated Press. - AP (8/30/11) - Read more»

So what's the rush to drill for gas?

Op Ed by Bernard D. Goldstein, MD - A seasoned environmental health professional looks at the Marcellus Shale. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (8/17/11) - Read more»

Regulating Beyond Risk

Sustainability should become the guiding principle for EPA’s policy and regulatory decisions, theNational Research Council says in a report released on Aug. 2. This means, the report says, that EPA should go beyond assessing and managing risks from pollution to preventing harm from it. - Chemical & Engineering News (8/2/11) - Read more»

Public Health Researcher Talks Health and Hydrofracking

Leading up to a two-day conference on the future of natural gas extraction in New York state, a public health researcher is giving a lecture in Rochester tonight. As the WXXI Innovation Trail's Zack Seward reports, some in the medical community say hydrofracking for natural gas could be a major public health issue.

Dr. Bernard Goldstein is a physician and public health researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. - WXXI (7/20/11) - Read more»

Pa. makes recommendations to monitor cancer, other illnesses in fracking areas

Pennsylvania's Department of Health wants to start tracking health and environmental data relating to natural gas drilling in the state's Marcellus Shale. - NewsWorks (6/14/11) - Read more»

Down Under the Farm: Concerns grow about Marcellus Shale gas drilling near food production

"We know there is a potential for contamination, we just don't know to what extent." - Pittsburgh City Paper (6/2/11) - Read more»

Experts address benefits, hazards of shale drilling

What has been on many people’s minds not only for months but for the last several years--the drilling for natural gas in Marcellus shale--attracted more than 100 people on Friday. - Allied News (4/30/11) - Read more»

Marcellus Town Hall

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a Marcellus Shale Town Hall Meeting in Oakland on Thursday afternoon. Head by State Senator Jim Ferlo, 6 Senate Members spent several hours hearing from natural gas industry executives, public safety officials and environmental advocates. - DUQ (4/28/11) - Read more»

CHEC Interim Director Selected

Bernard Goldstein, MD, the former Dean of the Graduate School of Public Health, has been selected to serve as interim director for CHEC while we seek out a replacement for our previous director, Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH. - Press Release (4/28/11) - Read more»

What's Next for Dan Volz?

Last week Conrad "Dan" Volz resigned as director of the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC) at Pitt's Graduate School of Public Health. As a researcher and public health advocate at Pitt since 2004, Volz has been vocal on the impact of the hydraulic fracturing process on the environment and as well as public health. - Pop City Pittsburgh (4/19/11) - Read more»

Dr. Volz presented for the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works

Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH was asked by Senator Cardin to testify today before the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works & its Subcommittee on Water & Wildlife, Joint Hearing on "Natural Gas Drilling, Public Health & Environmental Impacts." You can watch the proceedings on CSPAN or view Dr. Volz's Testimony & PowerPoint. (4/12/11)

Northern Appalachian Network conference included Marcellus panel

CHEC staff members Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH & Drew Michanowicz, MPH, CPH recently hosted a panel on Marcellus Shale gas extraction for the Northern Appalachian Network (NAN) at their annual conference at California University of PA. NAN is a coalition of scholars, artists, & other residents of the region. NAN seeks to highlight the accomplishments, culture, & challenges facing this often-neglected part of Appalachia. - (4/11/11) - CHEC's Presentations.

Underground Story Bubbles Up in Pittsburgh Newsroom 

There are two words you hear a lot around the newsroom at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette these days:  Marcellus Shale. This article discusses the public-private partnerships that make up the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Pipeline project, including FracTracker.org. (4/1/11) Read more»

Dr. Volz presented potential impacts of shale gas extraction at EPA hearings

As part of the U.S. EPA's investigation into the safety of hydraulic fracturing, a process used to extract natural gas from underground, CHEC's director Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH presented at the U.S. EPA's Hydraulic Fracturing Study Technical Workshop 3, Fate and Transport. (3/28-29/11) Extended Abstract | Presentation

Bromide: A concern in drilling wastewater

Ballooning bromide concentrations in the region's rivers, occurring as Marcellus Shale wastewater discharges increase, is a much bigger worry than the risk of high radiation levels, public water suppliers say. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (3/12/11) - Read more»

Shale panel will be under close scrutiny

Independent observers of the Marcellus shale industry in Pennsylvania said Tuesday that they will closely watch whether Gov. Tom Corbett's new advisory group accurately represents the various interests affected by proposed increases in natural-gas drilling. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (3/9/11) - Read more»

E.P.A. Steps Up Scrutiny of Pollution in Pennsylvania Rivers

Radioactivity levels are “at or below” safe levels in Pennsylvania rivers, state regulators said on Monday, based on water samples taken last November and December from seven rivers. - The New York Times (3/7/11) - Read more»

Gas drillers recycling more water, using fewer chemicals

Drillers plumbing the Marcellus Shale still use millions of gallons of water per well to bust up the deep subterranean rock strata and release the natural gas it contains, but more and more they're reducing the amount of chemical additives used in hydraulic fracturing and recycling wastewater. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (3/1/11) - Read more»

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pipeline & FracTracker Collaboration

We are proud to announce an exciting collaboration between FracTracker & a project run by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - called Pipeline. The collaboration will help to inform the PG's expansive readership about the diverse issues surrounding natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale region - especially in Washington County. For this project, FracTracker's DataTool will provide a platform for data collection & map creation.
Visit Pipeline
 | Learn More

Pa. plan to turn tires into electricity deserves serious study

Environmental issues per- taining to the proposal by Crawford Renewable Energy to build what is called the “world’s largest” tires-to-energy plant 10 miles south of Meadville near the town of Cochranton are now before the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. - Youngstown Vindicator (2/27/11) - Read more»

Marcellus waste reports muddy

Waste reports submitted by Marcellus Shale drillers for the last six months of 2010 indicate that more of the toxic wastewater that returns from their natural gas wells is being reused or recycled, but incomplete & inconsistent reporting makes it difficult to assess real changes in the waste's fate. - Scranton Times-Tribune(2/27/11) - Read more»

CHEC Staff Members to be Honored at the 35th Annual Honors Convocation

The University of Pittsburgh will hold its 35th Annual Honors Convocation on Friday, February 25, 2011 at the Carnegie Music Hall. Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH, CHEC's director and GSPH faculty member, will receive the Chancellor's Distinguished Faculty Award. Shannon Kearney, MPH, CPH, CHEC's Project Manager and GSPH doctoral student, will be honored as an outstanding student.

Project webite for Childhood Autism Study now available

The Study of Environmental Risk Factors for Childhood Autism recently launched its project website. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that become evident early in a child's life & cause social, communication, & behavioral challenges. The Study of Environmental Risk Factors for Childhood Autism is a multi-year study which began in 2010. It is being conducted in southwestern Pennsylvania (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington & Westmoreland Counties) by the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health. The aim of the study is to help identify environmental & other factors that may put children at risk for developing conditions within the ASDs. Read more»

DEP finds no health threat from Marcellus air emissions

A much-anticipated state Department of Environmental Protection study of air quality in the Marcellus Shale region found emissions from natural gas activity did not constitute a health threat. While industry advocates embraced the report as offering a clean bill of health, others caution that the study is a snapshot in time of a still-fledgling industry. - Times-Shamrock (2/1/11) - Read more»

Marcellus a Focus of the PA Progressive Summit

January 22-23, 2011 marked the weekend for the PA Progressive Summit hosted in Pittsburgh, PA. Of the many speakers & topics, discussing the potential impacts of drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale was of high importance. In case you missed the conference, below are the various Marcellus presentations:

Conrad Volz | Erika Staaf | Steve Hvozdovich | Jannette Barth

Carol Warren: Gas drilling poses threat to people, environment

"We built it ourselves. It was our dream home, & we've had to abandon it," Lisa Parr began. "We got so sick we couldn't live there anymore." Her story is by no means unique. The People's Oil & Gas Summit in Pittsburgh in November featured numerous heart-wrenching stories from real people whose health, livelihoods, & lives were ruined by the effects of gas drilling. - Charleston Gazette (1/10/11) - Read more»

Program aims to educate public on shale drilling

A new program to help the public monitor Marcellus Shale well development and report problems at drill sites has been launched by the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Healthy Environments and Communities and a Fayette County environmental group. The Marcellus Citizens Stewardship Project will offer free training to individuals on how to assess the sights, sounds and smells produced by shale drilling operations in their communities and report their observations via online forms to an interactive Marcellus drilling data site, "FracTracker," established by the university center. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1/18/11) - Read more»

Pa. allows dumping of tainted waters from gas boom

The natural gas boom gripping parts of the United States has a nasty byproduct: wastewater so salty, & so polluted with metals like barium & strontium, that most states require drillers to get rid of the stuff by injecting it down shafts thousands of feet deep. But not in Pennsylvania, one of the states at the center of the gas rush. In Pennsylvania, the liquid that gushes from gas wells is only partially treated for substances that could be environmentally harmful, then dumped into rivers & streams from which communities get their drinking water. - Associated Press (1/4/11) - Read more»

Earmark requests target Marcellus

If you haven’t perused our searchable database of Pennsylvania earmark requests, you may have missed a handful of funding requests for studies of the Marcellus Shale gas extraction process. These studies hope to wrap their arms around the entirety of the industry's impacts - both the pros and the cons. - Pittsburgh Business Times (1/3/11) - Read more»

Update! LBR Private Well Water Study by CHEC

CHEC began its Little Blue Run Coal Combustion Residue Surface Impoundment Private Well Water Study in October 2010. The study serves to characterize the present groundwater conditions contiguous to the Little Blue Run (LBR) surface impoundment - resultant from coal combustion waste created by the Bruce Mansfield plant in Shippingport, PA. Project Info | News Article

2010

Predicting the World’s Next Water Pollution Disaster

When an estimated 184 million gallons (697 million liters) of industrial waste spilled into Hungary’s Marcal River in early October, arsenic & mercury threatened to taint water supplies & degrade rivers, both at the site & for hundreds of miles downstream. In some ways, Hungary’s toxic mud disaster was a wake-up call, shining a spotlight on potential water pollution hotspots around the globe. Where might disaster strike next? - National Geographic (12/21/10) - Read more»

A debate over disposal

Before Penn Power created Little Blue Lake in 1975, the company circulated fliers advertising a picturesque recreation area where people could boat & ski on blue waters. So 35 years later, where are all the boats & skiers? And, for that matter, where's the lake? The so-called "lake" in Beaver County's Greene Township, near the boroughs of Georgetown & Hookstown, was created as a disposal pit for calcium sulfate & fly ash generated at the 2,390-megawatt Bruce Mansfield Power Plant in nearby Shippingport. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (12/16/10) - Read more»

Rachel Carson's legacy can't hide death rates in Allegheny Valley

In Springdale Borough, the hometown of the scientist, naturalist & writer Rachel Carson, they're still wrestling with the kind of public health issues she started battling almost 50 years ago with the publication of the landmark environmental book "Silent Spring." The Springdale Team of Active Residents adopted the slogan "Where Green Was Born," to honor Carson's memory & promote the town, but people there & in neighboring boroughs have died in high numbers from lung & heart diseases that have been linked to air pollution. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (12/14/10) - Read more»

Gas drilling boom brings calls to protect resources

Judy Armstrong remembers the day she first saw gas bubbles coming out of the Susquehanna River near her home in Bradford County. “Some of them were as big as a basketball,” Armstrong said. Armstrong, 53, moved in November to Northern Cambria Borough to escape what she says is water polluted with methane gas – from Marcellus Shale drilling – that has robbed her of her health. - The Tribune-Democrat (12/14/10) - Read more»

Region at risk: Can higher rates of death be linked to air pollution?

Children still run and play in the Kerona neighborhood of Shippingport, the Beaver County community that lies along the smokestack-studded valley of the Ohio River. But they aren't Chad Hysong's kids. The 35-year-old father of two young girls moved his family west, into Ohio, five years ago to get out of the pollution plumes from all those smokestacks that he claims caused them an endless cycle of respiratory problems; out of a place where white ash falling from the sky pitted his car's paint and chrome and where high concentrations of arsenic were found in the soil around his house and the water in his hot tub. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (12/12/10) - Read more»

CHEC Discussed Potential Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction at CalU Event

At an event hosted by the Institute for Law & Public Policy of the California University of PA on Friday, CHEC speakers Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH; Charles Christen, DrPH, MEd; & Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH discussed the various public health & environmental public health concerns of shale gas drilling, as well as tools to help people address those concerns. Learn more by checking out their presentations: Volz | Christen | Malone

Dr. Volz's Delaware River Basic Commission testimony

For more than two years, the natural gas drilling debate has focused primarily on the use of hydraulic fracturing in horizontal wells. But expert testimony submitted for a government hearing next month challenges long-held assumptions about the safety of deep vertical drilling and exploratory wells, which operate in many states with limited regulatory oversight. - ProPublica.org (12/7/10)
ProPublica Article | Volz Testimony (PDF)

Helms: Follow-up work continues at spill site

The well has been secured and follow-up work is being done at an oil well site near New Town after a recent spill. "Contaminated equipment is being washed and removed, fluid is being hauled away and contaminated surface material is being removed. The well is secured with a bridge plug at the bottom of the casing and the failed surface equipment is being replaced," said Lynn Helms, Bismarck, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources. - Minot Daily News (12/1/10) - Read more»

Public Health Conference on the Health Effects of Shale Gas Extraction

The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health conference on the "Health Effects of Shale Gas Extraction: What is known, and what can we predict?" was held on November 19, 2010 in Pittsburgh, PA. Click on the links below to check out the conference program (including speaker bios and abstracts), summaries produced by CHEC's staff, videos of the presentations, & the survey for people who attended the event.

Program | Morning Summary | Afternoon SummaryPresentation Videos

Marcellus shale: GSPH conference explores health issues

A wide-ranging daylong conference on the public health impacts of development of the Marcellus shale drew upon lessons learned in other regions and raised questions for future research. “We all seek an integrated strategy for a sustainable energy sector of the economy,” said Donald Burke, dean of the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), in his welcoming remarks at the school’s Nov. 19 event. “We must help industry learn best practices for protection of public health and the environment.” - University Times (11/24/10) - Read more»

FracTracker on Sustainability Now's Radio Talk Show

Samantha Malone of CHEC discussed how FracTracker.org came to be & how it is being used to track & share shale gas drilling data. - Sustainability Now (11-12-10) - Listen»

Expanded gas well info available online from DEP

The state Department of Environmental Protection unveiled Monday a new tool to make gas well information accessible in a few mouse clicks. The Oil & Gas Electronic Reporting website allows members of the public to obtain well information by permit number, operator ID or by county. Data ranging from well production and wastewater to violations also can be downloaded. - The Times-Tribune (11/2/10) - Read more»

Local Marcellus Shale debate featured in film

The 2010 film Gasland was screened in McConomy last Tuesday, followed by a panel discussion. Gasland focuses on the current debate over the Marcellus Shale, with special attention paid to the potential health risks posed by hydraulic fracturing, the process by which natural gas is removed from the ground. - The Tartan (CMU) (11/1/10) - Read more»

A Dream Dashed by the Rush on Gas

The shale gas industry maintains that it protects drinking water & land. But mistrust has been sown in rural communities. - National Geographic News (10/27/10) - Read more»

Guidelines to protect groundwater set for vote today

Gas drillers would have to provide more information about chemicals they use and improve casings to protect groundwater from contamination under rules state environmental regulators plan to vote on today. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (10/12/10) - Read more»

Charles Christen, DrPH, MEd Testimony from League of Women Voters Meeting

On October 11th Dr. Christen gave his testimony about the public health concerns associated with Marcellus Shale drilling to an audience of engaged community members. Click here to read his testimony (PDF). Related news»

Sen. Ferlo Online Townhall Meeting - The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: Deep Well Drilling of the Marcellus Shale

CHEC Speaker: Charles Christen, DrPH, MEd - View (120-minute video)

Toxic Coal Ash Contaminating Water?

Marcy Hughes has lived in western PA her whole life. Her home in Beaver County is like a picture postcard: Rolling hills. Lush farmland. Great schools. Back in the 1970s, Hughes says, she listened enthusiastically as representatives for Pennsylvania Power proposed building "Little Blue Run." Sure, its purpose was a place to dispose of coal ash - the waste left over from burning coal for electricity - but, that coal ash would serve as a foundation for a man-made lake. - CNN (10/7/10) - Read more & watch video»

Marcellus Shale Drilling: Gas Migration

The economic benefits of drilling in the Marcellus Shale are many, but can it be done safely? KDKA Investigator Andy Sheehan is looking into the environmental impacts, including claims that gas is getting into some people's water pipes. - KDKA (10/7/10) - Read more»

Marcellus Shale's play in PA: Politics, economics & environment

A 3-part update on Pennsylvania's burgeoning Marcellus Shale natural gas drillling industry: WHYY's Harrisburg reporter SCOTT DETROW will update Marty on the role its playing in political campaigns, especially the race to replace Ed Rendell as governor, & what role shale drilling is playing in the Legislature, where a severance tax & forced pooling are some of the most contentious issues dividing Harrisburg. Then we'll hear from TERI OOMS, executive director of the Scranton-based Institute for Public Policy & Economic Development, about the economic impact the industry is already having on the state, as well as its potential. Finally, we'll find out what we know & don't yet know about the risks to environmental & public health from Dr. CONRAD DANIEL VOLZ, Director of the Center for Healthy Environments & Communities at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. - WHYY (90.9 FM) (9/14/11) - Read more»

What Do We Need To Know? Potential Public Health Impacts of Natural Gas Extraction

August 27, 2010

CHEC conducted a symposium at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) on the potential public health concerns associated with gas extraction activities, especially those occurring in the Marcellus Shale region. Below are the panelists & presentations:

  1. Charles Christen, DrPH, MEd - CHEC director of operations - Presentation
  2. Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH - BCHS dept. doctoral student, GSPH & CHEC communications specialist - Presentation
  3. Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH - Assistant professor, GSPH Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, & CHEC director - Presentation

Plus! Presentation on potential air impacts from Marcellus Shale activities by Dan Volz to the Allegheny County Health Department - Presentation

Landfills Can Handle Oily Waste, EPA Assures

August 25, 2010 — NewsOnWellness.com

More than 50,000 tons of boom and oily debris fill up landfills & incinerators, month after the oil stopped flowing into the gulf. Nine area landfills equipped to handle the influx of waste are being monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency. Learn more»

Geneva College announces fall 2010 Colloquia Series speakers

August 25, 2010 — Geneva College Press Release

CHEC's Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH will speak on Thursday, September 9 at 7 p.m. & Friday, September 10 at 10:10 a.m. in Skye Lounge of the Student Center. He will address the Marcellus Shale project & controversy. Learn more»

Shale Watch: Follow the jobs, events & latest online reports

August 24, 2010 — Pop City Pittsburgh

Running to keep up with the latest developments on the Marcellus Shale play from news to jobs to events? Here's a one-stop report on the news in a nutshell from the past month... The best source for all things shale is University of Pittsburgh's Fractracker where information on well permits, drilling activity, infractions and news are updated regularly. Read more»

Seminar to Explore Health Risks of Shale Drilling

August 24, 2010 — WDUQ News

The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Healthy Environments & Communities (CHEC) is holding a seminar on the public health impact of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling. Learn more»

Sprouting not-for-profit prophets

August 10, 2010 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

If you’re a community activist/environmentalist, you might have been at The Sprout Fund’s bio-diversity symposium yesterday at the Cabaret Theater Downtown. Learn more»

As water worries mount, researcher says Marcellus Shale poses risk to air

July 31, 2010 — The Times-Tribune

Protecting watersheds in the Marcellus Shale region & forcing driller disclosure of fracking chemicals are the foremost demands of those concerned about potential environmental harm from natural gas activity. The focused attention leaves out potentially greater threats, said Conrad "Dan" Volz, DrPH, MPH, director & principal investigator of University of Pittsburgh's Center for Healthy Environments & Communities. The region's air could face a so far undetected threat, he said. Read more»

EPA fracing meeting in heart of Marcellus Shale region riles crowd of 1,200

July 23, 2010 — Pittsburgh Business Times

The Hilton Garden Inn in Canonsburg, Pa., a popular spot for Marcellus Shale industry gatherings, hosted a different kind of natural gas conference Thursday night when a crowd of about 1,200 came to advise the Environmental Protection Agency on how it should conduct a study of the hydraulic fracturing process. Read more»

New Warehouse for Shale Mining Data

July 16, 2010 — Project on Government Oversight

A great new resource for keeping tabs on the oil industry has just opened up—the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Healthy Environments & Communities (CHEC) has developed the FracTracker, a website where people can upload data on the Marcellus Shale gas reserves under the Appalachian basin. Read more»

For Gas-Drilling Data, There’s a New Place to Dig

July 13, 2010 — ProPublica

Starving for data about natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale? A new website hopes to feed your need. A couple of environmental & public health groups have teamed up to create FracTracker, a web tool that brings together different data sets & presents the information on a map. Read more»

Not in their backyards - Many city residents express worry about potential Marcellus Shale hazards

July 13, 2010 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The potential for Marcellus Shale drilling within the city of Pittsburgh brought out a panel of experts & about 80 people who filled City Council chambers Monday for a hearing on the impact gas drilling could have here. Chuck Christen of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Healthy Environments & Communities, cited a list of environmental & health concerns, saying: "There is not enough independent research. All my questions are ones for which there are no answers." Read more»

Drilling forecasts decades of growth, Pittsburgh City Council told

July 13, 2010 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The Marcellus shale gas industry in Pennsylvania could be on the verge of decades of growth harkening to the introduction of automobiles in Detroit a century ago, an expert told Pittsburgh City Council Monday. Read more»

Shale Gas & City Council Try to Mix

July 12, 2010 — WDUQ News

Pittsburgh City Council spent more than three hours Monday learning the ins & outs of Marcellus Shale gas drilling & what it could mean to Pittsburgh. The debate over shale drilling dangers, safeguards & opportunities is raging throughout the state & when drilling moves into an urban area a whole new set of questions get thrown into the mix. Read more»

Panel discusses Marcellus Shale concerns for drilling within Pittsburgh city limits

July 12, 2010 — Pittsburgh Business Times

With many acres leased within Pittsburgh city limits, eight panel members attempted to put into perspective today what Marcellus Shale development will mean for this urban region. Read more»

Website all about shale info

July 8, 2010 — Times Leader

Two health & environmental organizations have teamed up to host a new website with a web-based tool for tracking & visualizing data related to gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale region. FracTracker.org, hosted by the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds & managed by the Center for Healthy Environments & Communities, or CHEC, of the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health, officially launched on June 29. Read more»

Website To Track All Things Marcellus

July 6, 2010 — WDUQ

The Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC) at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health has launched a new web page that it hopes will help everyone learn more about the impacts on Marcellus Shale drilling in PA. The site, FracTracker.org, will include a blog where CHEC director Dan Volz says “snapshots” of what is happening in the Shale play will be posted for people that do not want to dig into the data on their own. For those who are more adventurous, the site also holds a web-based data tool developed by Pittsburgh-based Rhiza labs that will allow users to layer data sets and then produce a visualization of the information. Read more»

Website tracks shale drillers

July 1, 2010 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

A group of researchers, software developers and environmentalists has introduced an online tool designed to track what's happening in Pennsylvania's rapidly expanding natural gas industry. Read more»

Follow the drilling with Fractracker, datatools for the shale play--check it out!

June 30, 2010 — Pop City

A unique online tool is tracking the gas fracing activity & encouraging the collaboration of researchers & environmentalists across three states. Fractracker.org is a central clearinghouse for all things Marcellus Shale. Want to know exactly where the wells are? There's an up-to-date interactive map. Interested in gas extraction incidents & infractions? Click on the regularly updated list. The site hopes to put all the available information in one place from New York to Pennsylvania & West Virginia. Read more»

Pitt Center Launches Online Tracking Tool to Assess Impact of Marcellus Shale Drilling

June 29, 2010 — Press Release

The Center for Healthy Environments & Communities (CHEC) at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health has convened a group of experts to address the impact of Marcellus Shale drilling with the launch of Fractracker.org, a new web-based tool for tracking & visualizing data related to gas extraction. Read more»

Impacts of Marcellus drilling questioned

June 22, 2010 — The Pitt News

In what can hardly be called a banner year for energy companies. Researchers & policy makers, including one Pitt professor, have raised concerns over the safety of drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation in Pennsylvania. Dr. Conrad Dan Volz, an assistant professor at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health, directs the Center for Healthy Environments & Communities. Founded in 2005, the center includes Volz, four other members of Pitt’s staff & half a dozen graduate students & interns. Read more»

Wastewater: A risky business

June 22, 2010 — Citizens Voice

Range Resources dug a pit the size of a football field in the grassy acres just beyond June Chappel's property line last year, yards from a pen where she keeps her beagles & past the trees that shade the porch on her family's southwestern PA home. At first, Range used its pit in Hopewell Township to store fresh water needed to produce gas from the 7 Marcellus Shale natural gas wells it drilled next door. But when the company began to fill it with the salt- & metals-laden waste fluids that came back up from the wells, Chappel found odors like that of gasoline & kerosene forced her inside.
Read More | CHEC's Efforts

Pitt to test groundwater near Little Blue Run

June 21, 2010 — Beaver County Times

A group from the University of Pittsburgh will test wells in the Hookstown area this summer to determine whether toxic chemicals have leached from the Little Blue Run coal ash impoundment into the local water table. Dan Volz, director of Pitt’s Center for Healthy Environments & Communities, said the organization has been studying Little Blue over the past year as part of a study on the effects of coal ash on ground water. Well-water testing represents a second phase of the project. Read more»

Impact of natural gas drilling environmental woes could linger

June 20, 2010 — The Times-Tribune

Michel Boufadel began a recent presentation about Marcellus Shale drilling with a photo of the ruptured Exxon Valdez oil tanker spilling into Alaskan waters, a disaster whose remnants the Temple University engineering professor has been studying for years.

He flipped to a photo of himself & some graduate students standing around a pool of oil in a hole in the sand of an Alaskan beach. "Everyone assumed in 1992" that the oil from the spill had been properly remediated & was "going to disappear," he said. "Yet it is still there. That is the problem with groundwater pollution. It doesn't go away that fast." Read More | CHEC's Efforts

Marcellus Shale gas drilling put under microscope

June 13, 2010 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This month has not been a quiet one for the booming Marcellus Shale natural gas well drilling industry, & the commotion has the attention of Debbie Borowiec of Upper Burrell, where 2 gas wells are planned near 67 homes on Chapeldale Drive. The industry noise began with a "blowout" on June 3 at a Marcellus Shale well outside Penfield in rural Clearfield County. That well, adjacent to the Moshannon State Forest, spewed natural gas & drilling wastewater contaminated with toxic chemicals into the air for 16 hours. Read more»

Pitt Professor Examining Marcellus Shale Impacts

June 9, 2010 - CBS Pittsburgh

There’s a lot of unknowns with Marcellus Shale drilling as more companies try to cash in on PA’s vast deposits- but are we moving too quickly without looking at longterm effects? Larry talks to Pitt professor Dr Dan Volz, who has been studying these effects, to find out what his studies have shown.

Massive gas fire near Moundsville injures several workers

June 8, 2010 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

WV volunteer firefighters had to jump in "blind" at the scene of a massive explosion & raging gas fire early yesterday when injured workers, some with severe burns, left to seek medical treatment. "It was just a big ball of fire," said Danny Holmes, chief of the Moundsville Volunteer Fire Department, which arrived first at the Chief Oil & Gas LLC well site about four miles outside Moundsville. Read more»

'Gasland' documentary gets sneak peek at the Byham

June 4, 2010 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On America's environmental devastation charts, the hits just keep on coming. Ever heard of the Marcellus shale? It is a mile below us & in parts of 4 neighboring states. It's where the ground water is, & gas companies are drilling it, using hydraulic chemicals & chemically treated water – several millions of gallons per well – to "frack" the shale to get at the gas. They're doing this in 34 states & counting. Read more | CHEC's Efforts

Water treated to counteract health risks

June 3, 2010 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On a hot summer day, the shimmering waters of the Monongahela & Allegheny rivers are dotted with boats & often teeming with sewage-filled stormwater, oil from barges & catfish of ambiguous gender. If you live in Pittsburgh, those same waters eventually will flow from your kitchen tap. Blessedly, a few things happen between the river & the sink. Read more»

What's the Impact of the Marcellus Shale on our Environment?

June 2, 2010 — Pop City Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is at the center of another energy revolution. The drilling of the Marcellus Shale promises jobs in areas hard hit by unemployment, lucrative leases for landowners & a new energy economy. The potential is staggering. As one industry executive put it, PA is to natural gas what Saudi Arabia is to oil. The Marcellus will be bigger to PA than the blast furnace, says another... But at what cost? Article | CHEC's Efforts

What's In The Water? - An OnQ Special Series

June 2, 2010 — WQED-TV OnQ

Chris Moore continues his coverage on Marcellus Shale drilling in this studio discussion which explores the benefits to an energy-hungry nation, the regulations & precautions taken by gas companies, & solutions for making sure water left behind after drilling is clean. Learn More | CHEC's Efforts

The Fish Study

June 1, 2010 — WQED-TV OnQ

OnQ's Michael Bartley goes back to the river with University of Pittsburgh researcher Dr. Dan Volz to get the latest results of the so-called "Fish Study." Are male fish being feminized by what ends up in the river? And how is it affecting humans? We'll also look at other serious contaminants affecting river quality & potentially our drinking water. Read more»

School Districts Look to Marcellus Shale for Revenue

May 26, 2010 — Allegheny Front

As the school year comes to a close, many school districts across PA face budget shortfalls. Students at Sto-Rox High School near Pittsburgh, working with Earth Force, an environmental education group & The Allegheny Front, report on how schools are looking to fill their budget gaps with revenue from gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Read more»

Red flags raised over gas wells

May 4, 2010 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pennsylvania needs tougher regulations for Marcellus shale gas drilling, aggressive, independent enforcement, and a severance tax on the gas extracted, according to state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger. Read more»

Dr. Volz live on KDKA news radio 1020

April 11, 2010 — The Chris Moore Show, WQED-TV

Dr. Conrad Dan Volz, Kathy Nelson, & Lisa Widawsky talked with host Chris Moore about coal ash dumps & how they pollute ground water, as well as the ecological impacts of coal ash & other coal by-products. Listen»

Speaker: Drilling Bad for PA

April 4, 2010 — Altoona Mirror

The Food & Drug Administration requires that new pharmaceutical compounds undergo rigorous testing before they go to market. Environmental agencies didn't exercise the same kind of rigor before allowing energy firms to extract gas from shale formations 6,000 feet down, using the relatively new method of "fracking" - pumping chemical-laced water under pressure to break the rock & release the gas, said Dan Volz, director of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Healthy Environments & Communities. Learn more»

Coal's Toxic Sludge

March 17, 2010 — Rolling Stone

Big coal has spent millions of dollars over the past year touting the virtues of what the industry calls "clean coal," but it's no secret that coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. When you burn it, coal releases monstrous quantities of deadly compounds & gases — & it all has to go somewhere. Learn more»

Industry, environmentalists debate hazards of coal ash

March 14, 2010 — Beaver County Times

The debate over coal ash, which is not currently regulated as a hazardous waste, has heated up in recent months as the Environmental Protection Agency considers changing rules that dictate how it is stored & used. Learn more»

Team 4: Pitt Scientist Sounds Alarm On Natural Gas Drilling

March 9, 2010 — WTAE Channel 4

Dr. Volz told Team 4 investigator Jim Parsons that an explosion in natural gas drilling in western PA has him worried. The take-away message: Get your water tested before drilling begins in your area. Learn more»

Task force aims to keep unwanted medications from waterways

March 8, 2010 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The Southwestern PA Household Hazardous Waste Task Force wants your unwanted pharmaceuticals, an effort it hopes will spare rivers from contamination. Read more»

Clearville residents to meet, talk about natural gas drilling

March 7, 2010 — Cumberland Times-News

Concerned Citizens of Clearville, PA will hold a public meeting at the Pleasant Union Church on April 3, 2010 at 1 p.m. to discuss matters relating to natural gas drilling. Learn more»

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2009

Clean Water Action Reaches Settlement w/Horsehead Corp. over Clean Water Act Violations

December 29, 2009: Settlement includes $10,000 donation to the CHEC. Learn more»

U.S. expands efforts to regulate meds in water

December 22, 2009 — Associated Press

Federal regulators under President Barack Obama have sharply shifted course on long-standing policy toward pharmaceutical residues in the nation's drinking water, taking a critical first step toward regulating some of the contaminants while acknowledging they could threaten human health. Read more»

PRETA Press Release, Evaluating Environmental Threats in Southwestern PA

November 30, 2009 — Press Release, Graduate School of Public Health

CHEC has been contracted by The Heinz Endowments to conduct an analysis of the major threats to the environment and health of people who live and work in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Regional Environmental Threat Analysis (PRETA) will identify these threats throughout the region’s 10 counties. Press Release | Project Info

Pitt project examining environmental threats in region

November 10, 2009 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Are mercury levels in Pittsburgh-area rivers a health threat? If so, how big a threat? What are the risks from coal waste impoundments & gas well drilling operations? What about emissions from power plants, specific industrial facilities or diesel engine-powered construction equipment & tow boats?
A comprehensive environmental health risk analysis for southwestern Pennsylvania, recently started by the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Healthy Environments & Communities, aims to provide some answers to those questions & dozens more. Read more»

Dr. Volz recognized as one of GASP's 40 Environmental Heroes in 2009

October 23, 2009 — Who else was honored? (PDF)

Surge in gas drilling amplifies debate over water treatment rules in PA

September 6, 2009 — Tribune-Review

A battle is brewing over proposed rules designed to protect the state's water resources from high levels of pollutants — action prompted by a boom in natural gas drilling that generates millions of gallons of wastewater laced with salts and chemicals. Read more»

Something's Fishy

September 3, 2009 — Pittsburgh City Paper

Modern humans live in a chemical soup. Auto fumes & food preservatives, prescription drugs & polyester dust ... we eat man-made chemicals, drink them, inhale them & absorb them through our skin. Read more»

American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting, November 7-11, 2009

CHEC had 5 abstracts accepted for publication & presentation at the 137th annual APHA meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Links to the abstracts, times & locations of the presentations are listed below:

  1. Community-based participatory environmental health research to improve water quality on a major water source in Southwestern PA. Abstract #197439»
  2. Coal combustion waste placement in PA; An environmental justice issue with implications for contamination of surface & ground waters & human & ecological exposure via inhalation & ingestion. Abstract# 202076»
  3. Community participatory driven research; Comparisons of water quality variables & concentrations of toxic elements downstream from Allegheny River gravel mining operations during periods of activity & inactivity. Abstract# 200296»
  4. A revised Aquatic Hazard Assessment of Bisphenol A: Evidence that current risk models may not be sufficiently protective. Abstract# 203316»

Coal Combustion Waste & Water Quality testimony

April 30, 2009

Dan Volz, MPH, DrPH testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Water Resources & Environment regarding “Coal Combustion Waste & Water Quality." The Subcommittee requested testimony regarding the water quality impacts of coal combustion waste storage & what actions should be taken to mitigate these impacts. Read testimony»

Toxic metals in Valley fish exceed Pittsburgh's

April 21, 2009 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Mercury, arsenic & selenium found in fish sampled in the Allegheny River from Springdale north to Ford City were found at levels significantly higher than in fish in the Pittsburgh area, according to a new study. Read more»

Directive to PPG Industries by PADEP

March 9, 2009

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), along with evidence from the research of the Allegheny River Stewardship Project, has issued a directive to PPG industries to collect & treat wastewater at Armstrong County site. Read more»

SAHA’s coal-ash residue

February 11, 2009 — San Antonio Current — Read article»

Dust Mights

January 21, 2009 — San Antonio Current

SAHA’s digging up coal ash at its old Swift site. Neighbors say they’re getting the blowback. Dr. Dan Volz visits Tennessee Valley Authority Fly Ash Disaster & comments. Read more»

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2008

Tennessee Valley Coal Ash Spill Buries 400 Acres, Damages Homes

December 23, 2008 — ENS Newswire

A retaining wall at the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Kingston coal-fired power plant collapsed early Monday morning, causing 2.6 million cubic yards of fly ash to be spilled across hundreds of acres. Read more»

Drill press: Environmental, sportsmen's groups want stricter regulation of natural gas projects

November 28, 2008 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Thirteen environmental and sportsmen's organizations have asked the state to do a better job regulating water use and disposal by deep natural gas well drillers that are rushing to tap into the potentially lucrative Marcellus Shales geologic formation. Read more»

Heinz Endowments Funds Center for Healthy Environments and Communities at GSPH

September 29, 2008 — Pitt Chronicle

In an effort to expand environmental public health efforts in Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), the Heinz Endowments has awarded $200,000 to the school’s Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC). The grant will help support the Allegheny River Stewardship Project, a community-based environmental health project exploring water contamination in the Allegheny River, one of CHEC’s flagship programs. Read more»

Drugs found in drinking water

September 2008 — Associated Press (AP)

The AP released an article on various medications found in water in various places in the United States. Read more»

Local anglers are invited to catch fish for river research

May 4, 2008 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

University of Pittsburgh professor, Dr. Conrad Volz, is examining the presence of contaminants in fish in the river. His earlier studies detected high levels of mercury and selenium in channel catfish in Kittanning and pharmaceutical hormones in fish in the Pittsburgh area. Read more»

Something Fishy in Pittsburgh: Studies Suggest Water Pollution Still Pervasive

Spring 2008 — University of Pittsburgh Research Review

New research at the University of Pittsburgh suggests that pollution in the region’s rivers continues to present a health threat to residents who use the local water supply and eat fish caught here. Read more» (PDF)

Mercury found in the air in Ford City, Clearfield

April 24, 2009 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review — Read article»

What's in Your Water?

April 17, 2008 — Chicago Tribune

The Tribune finds trace amounts of drugs and chemicals — including anti-seizure medication and a Teflon ingredient — in Lake Michigan drinking water. Read more»

Study to search rivers for drug contaminants

March 31, 2008 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Two environmental agencies will take a closer look at pharmaceutical and hormone contaminants in the Allegheny River and other local waterways this summer. Read more»

Dr. Volz interviewed on ABC Healthy Life

March 11, 2008 — ABC News

See Dr. Volz's interview on the program, Healthy Life: Water Contaminants. Watch video»

Study to check health of the Allegheny River

February 25, 2008 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Scientists will swarm the Allegheny River this spring for research projects that will collectively become one of the most comprehensive studies of aquatic life in the region. Read more»

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2007

Region's abundance of water raises risks

December 26, 2007 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

As "water wars" migrate east, the Pittsburgh region stands out as a place where water abounds. But experts say that doesn't mean the water here is safe from problems. Read more»

Breast Cancer Cells Thrive in Polluted Fish

December 2007 — Breast Cancer Fund — Read newsletter»

Store-bought Freshwater Fish Contain Elevated Levels Of Mercury, Arsenic & Selenium

November 8, 2007 — Science Daily (press release) — Read article»

Fish Consumption Research Featured on WQED OnQ

October 1, 2007 — WQED's OnQ

OnQ featured the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health's (GSPH) Pittsburgh Fish Consumption Study, as part of its weeklong series on health and cancer, on Thursday, November 17, at 7:30 p.m. The segment titled "What's in the Water" follows Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH, as he and local anglers, who are donating their catch, fish for white bass and channel catfish from Pittsburgh's three rivers. Once caught, the fish will be analyzed for levels of heavy metals and chemicals with estrogen-like activity in order to gauge the health risks of fish consumption. According to Dr. Volz, "Fish are like canaries in the coal mine." Watch video or download a more detailed project description (PDF).

Home program finds friendly visits are helping families of children with asthma

July 4, 2007 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — Read article»

Fish study raises red flag on water supply

June 21, 2007 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — Read article»

New Kind Of Canary In Coal Mine?

April 11, 2007 — WPXI News

Trout season is just a few days away, but are the fish you catch in Pittsburgh area waters safe to eat? That is what Conrad Daniel Volz, DrPH, MPH, a researcher with the University of Pittsburgh Center for Environmental Oncology, is trying to determine. He is heading up a study that is looking at contamination in area rivers. Read more»

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2006

Agent Orange health study ending

September 20, 2006 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review — Read article»

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2005

Community Information System to Benefit Pittsburgh Neighborhoods

December 21, 2005 — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Developed for the city by an academic and nonprofit partnership, CIS is a map-based computer tool that lets the user see real-time conditions on any property. Planners can spot trends and patterns of use and misuse, see potential for improved use and where planning now can reduce problems later. Read more»

No contamination found at Alaska A-bomb test site

September 11, 2005 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

A scientific expedition to a remote Aleutian island led by a University of Pittsburgh researcher has found no signs of radioactive waste seeping from the largest underground nuclear explosion in the nation's history. Read more»

Pitt researchers fish for mutants

July 18, 2005 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Male smallmouth bass developing eggs in the Potomac, carp with low sperm counts in Nevada's Lake Mead and white suckers with male and female characteristics in Colorado's South Platte River have Pittsburgh researchers wondering what might be found in Western Pennsylvania's three rivers. Read more»

Area aid workers see tsunami's wrath

June 13, 2005 — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review — Read article»

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Archived CHEC Events & Presentations

2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

2011

Date Details
11/18/11 Health Effects of Shale Gas Extraction Conference
Goldstein BD (speaker & coordinator), Barchowsky A (moderator & coordinator), Clougherty J (moderator), Burke D (host), Pitt B (host), Kriesky J (coordinator), Malone S (coordinator), Gillooly S (coordinator); Hosted by GSPH, Pittsburgh, PA. Learn more
11/9/11 Indiana County Natural Gas Task Force
Kriesky J; Indiana, PA
11/2/11 Health and Environmental Funders Network
Kelso M; Webinar
11/2/11 FracTracker.org Presentation
Malone S. American Public Health Association annual meeting, Washington, D.C. Learn more
11/1/11 Marcellus Shale Panel
Ferrar K (presenter), Malone S (moderator). American Public Health Association annual meeting, Washington, D.C. Learn more
10/15/11 Natural Gas Drilling in the Marcellus Shale: Process, Trends, Community Concerns
Malone S. CME Session, PA Medical Society annual meeting. Hershey, PA. Presentation
10/15/11 Peters Township Marcellus Shale Awareness Conference
Kriesky J; Canonsburg, PA
10/15/11 Wilkins School Community Center Ecofest
Kriesky J; Pittsburgh, PA
10/13/11 Earth Talk Radio Interview
Malone S; Washington, PA
9/28/11 Data Tools for Water
Malone S & Widdows M. 3rd Annual Water Innovations Alliance Conference. Boston, MA. Presentation
9/27/11 Marcellus Shale and Public Health
- Bernard D. Goldstein, MD - Luncheon Speaker
- Kyle Ferrar, MPH - Technicalities & Controversies
- Drew Michanowicz, MPH, CPH - Potential Ecological Effects
- Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH - Community Health & Public Health Preparedness
PA Public Health Association annual meeting. Philadelphia, PA.
8/11/11 Pennsylvania Enforcement of Natural Gas Drilling Meeting by Earthworks
Kelso, M. Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Violation, Inspection, and Enforcement Data on FracTracker.org. Pittsburgh, PA. PDF
6/29/11 FracTracker Webinar #10 - The Future of FracTracker. Training to use fractracker.org & data.fractracker.org. Malone S.
6/15/11 WREN 2011 Project Orientation Meeting
Malone S. Drilling for Natural Gas in the Marcellus Shale: What to Expect, How to Mediate using FracTracker. Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.
6/13/11 FracTracker Webinar #9 - Wrapping Up - Additional Features & Questions
Malone S. Training to use fractracker.org & data.fractracker.org.
6/6/11 Too Shallow for Diving - Water Quality Seminar
Christen C. Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
6/1/11 FracTracker Webinar #8 - Alternative Ways to Contribute to FracTracker
Malone S. Training to use fractracker.org & data.fractracker.org. Webinar 8
5/19/11 Marcellus Citizen Stewardship Project: Visual Assessment Training
Christen C. Pittsburgh, PA.
5/18/11 Little Blue Run Community Meeting
Michanowicz D, Kearney S. Reported on the results of our well water testing near Little Blue Run. Learn more»
5/16/11 FracTracker Webinar #7 - The Blog - Projects, Data Index, & Changes
Malone S. Training to use fractracker.org & data.fractracker.org.
Webinar 7

5/11/11

Potential Health Effects of Marcellus Shale Activities: The Need for Public Health Surveillance
Goldstein BD. Marcellus Shale Commission, Harrisburg, PA. Presentation
5/4/11 FracTracker Webinar #6 - Sharing Snapshots
Malone S. Training to use fractracker.org & data.fractracker.org. Webinar 6
4/30/11 Marcellus Shale: Health Effects
Volz CD. Sixth Annual Earth Day Environmental Justice Conference & Essay & Poster Contest, Kent State University, East Liverpool, OH
4/28/11 Public Health and Environmental Impacts of Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction
Volz CD. Rodef Shalom, Pittsburgh, PA
4/22/11 Towards a Sustainable Pennsylvania
Christen C. Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA.
4/21/11 A Public Health Perspective on Drilling in the Marcellus Shale
Volz CD, & Christen C. Grantmakers of Western PA, Pittsburgh, PA
4/20/11 Marcellus Visual Assessment Training
Christen C. Marcellus Citizen Stewardship Project, St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA
4/20/11 FracTracker.org Training
Smalls M. Ridgway, PA
4/18/11 FracTracker Webinar #5 - Uploading Data Part 2
Kelso M, & Malone S. Training to use fractracker.org & data.fractracker.org. Webinar 5
4/17/11 Public Health Impacts of Marcellus Shale Gas Development
Volz CD. Schrader Center's 2011 Living Green Lecture Series, Wheeling, West Virginia
4/15/11 Implementation of FracTracker.org: A GeoWeb platform to manage & communicate shale gas information
Malone S. Deans Day Awards Ceremony, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA. Presentation
4/14/11 Marcellus Shale Drilling: What you need to know about hydraulic fracturing
Volz CD. Charles & Mary Lou Young Non-Profit Center, Natrona Heights, PA
4/12/11 Natural Gas Drilling, Public Health & Environmental Impacts
Volz CD. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works & its Subcommittee on Water & Wildlife, Joint Hearing, Washington DC. Testimony | PowerPoint
4/11/11 Northern Appalachian Network Conference
Malone S & Michanowicz, D. California University of PA. Presentations
4/7-8/11 Deans Day Poster Competition
Malone S, Michanowicz D, & Ferrar K. University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA. Posters: Malone | Michanowicz | Ferrar
4/4/11 FracTracker Webinar #4 - Uploading Data Part 1
Kelso M, & Malone S. Training to use fractracker.org & data.fractracker.org. Webinar 4
3/28/11 U.S. EPA's Hydraulic Fracturing Study Technical Workshop 3, Fate & Transport 
Volz CD. Arlington, VA. Extended Abstract | Presentation
3/21/11 FracTracker Webinar #3 - Making Snapshots
Malone S. Training to use fractracker.org & data.fractracker.org. Webinar 3
3/19/11 Marcellus and FracTracker Lectures
Volz CD, & Malone S. Columbus, OH.
3/10/11 U.S. EPA's Hydraulic Fracturing Study technical workshops
Volz CD. Arlington, VA
3/9/11 FracTracker Webinar #2 - Navigation & Registration
Malone S. Training to use fractracker.org & data.fractracker.org. Webinar 2
3/7/11 Public Health Impacts of Marcellus Shale Extraction & Using FracTracker to Understand & Prevent Them
Volz CD, & Malone S. Misericordia University, Dallas, PA.
2/28/11 Public Forum: Environmental Impact of Marcellus Shale Drilling & Fracking
Volz CD. Clarion University, Clarion, PA.
2/25/11 Building Bridges – Healing Connections in a Broken World: May the Beauty we Love Be what we Do
Volz CD. Episcopal Urban Caucus 31st National Assembly, Pittsburgh, PA.
2/24/11 Marcellus Citizens Stewardship Project
Somerset, PA. Learn more about the Project
2/21/11 FracTracker Webinar #1 - Intro to the System
Malone S. Training to use fractracker.org & data.fractracker.org.
Webinar 1
2/16/11Let’s Talk About Energy - Tires to Energy Panel
Volz CD. Allegheny College, Meadville, PA .
2/16/11FracTracker.org Training
Malone S. Indiana University of PA, Indiana, PA.
2/16/11Concerns of Natural Gas Extraction from Marcellus Shale
Volz CD. Technology Forum of the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh (SSP), Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA.
2/9/11 FracTracker.org & Its Part in Water Monitoring
Malone S. Cambria County Conservation District - Water Resources & Watershed Development Committee, Ebensburg, PA.
2/8/11 Class Lecture: Environmental Ethics
Malone S. Contemporary Moral Problems, West Virginia University, Morgantown, PA.
1/27/11 Marcellus Visual Assessment Training
Marcellus Citizen Stewardship Project, Washington, PA.
1/14/11 FracTracker.org Training
Malone S. Washington & Jefferson College, Washington, PA.
1/13/11 Get Organized: Skills to Protect your Community in the Marcellus Shale
Malone S. Pittsburgh, PA.
1/8/11 FracTracker.org Introduction
Malone S. Capacity Building Meeting, Blairsville, PA.

2010

Date Details
12/10/10 Marcellus Shale Seminar
CHEC Presenters: Volz CD, Christen C, & Malone S. Institute for Law and Public Policy, California University of Pennsylvania, Canonsburg, PA.
12/8/10 FracTracker.org Training
CHEC Presenter: Malone S. Columbia County Conservation District, Bloomsburg, PA.
11/20/10 Peoples' Oil and Gas Summit
CHEC Speakers: Volz CD, & Christen C. EARTHWORKS, Pittsburgh, PA.
11/19/10 Health Effects of Shale Gas Extraction: What is known, & What can we predict?
CHEC Presenter: Volz CD (moderator). Conference Coordinators from CHEC: Christen C, Malone S., Gillooly S. University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA.
11/16/10 Marcellus Shale Water Monitoring Program - Using FracTracker.org
CHEC Presenter: Malone S. Johnstown, PA.
11/12/10 FracTracker: Orientation & Real World Application
CHEC Presenter: Christen C. Shepherdstown, WV.
11/10/10 Potential Environmental Public Health Impacts
CHEC Presenter: Christen C. Lower Burrell, PA.
11/4/10 Class Lecture: The Theory Behind FracTracker
CHEC Presenter: Malone S. University of Pittsburgh Communications course, Pittsburgh, PA.
11/3/10 Marcellus Shale: A Socio-Historical-Environmental Critique
CHEC Presenter: Volz CD. Indiana University of PA, Indiana, PA.
10/29/10 Class Lecture: FracTracker.org Introduction
CHEC Presenter: Malone S. Bidwell Training Center, GIS Course, Pittsburgh, PA.
10/28/10 Environmental Public Health Concerns of Shale Gas Extraction
CHEC Presenter: Malone S. Eastgate Regional Council of Governments. Youngstown, OH. Presentation
10/26/10 Gasland Screenings, Panel Presentation, and FracTracker
CHEC Presenters: Volz CD, Malone S. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
10/25/10 FracTracker Training
Malone S, Christen C. Check out http://fractracker.org to learn more. Morgantown, WV.
10/18/10 FracTracker Training
Christen C. Check out http://fractracker.org to learn more. Natrona Heights, PA.
10/15/10 GSPH Open House
Michanowicz D, Kearney S. University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), Pittsburgh, PA.
10/14/10 Brown Bag Lecture - Using FracTracker.org to Visualize and Manage Shale Gas Drilling Data
Malone S. California University, California, PA.
10/13/10 Marcellus Shale Trail
This event was a fundraiser and an educational forum surrounding the issue of Marcellus Shale drilling in Pittsburgh. CHEC Participants: Malone S, Michanowicz D, Kelso M, Ferrar K. Hambones, Pittsburgh, PA
10/11/10 Marcellus Shale - The Answer to Our Energy Needs or a Danger to the Environment?
CHEC presenter: Christen C. Presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh's Environmental Committee. Jewish Community Center, Pittsburgh, PA
10/8/10 Science2010 Conference
CHEC presenters: Volz CD, Michanowicz D, Malone S. Lecture "Potential Human Inhalation Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds from Marcellus Shale Operations" and poster presentation on FracTracker. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
9/30/10 Visualizing Public Health Impacts of the Marcellus Shale Play
Christen C. Ligonier, PA.
9/29/10 Marcellus Shale and Your Community
Christen C. Steel Valley Council meeting. Homestead, PA.
9/29/10 Marcellus Shale Task Force Forum
Volz CD. "Hydraulic Fracturing in Marcellus Shale - Water Usage, Contamination & Disposal." Penn State Fayette Campus, Uniontown, PA.
9/29/10 Maximizing Profitability through Effective Environmental Risk Management
The Upstream Shale Gas & Environmental Summit, hosted by IQPC, is specifically organized to identify the critical issues that gas companies and other stakeholders must confront when constructing commercial operations driven by the shale play. CHEC Speaker: Charles Christen, DrPH, MEd - "Case Study: Citizen Surveillance and Monitoring of Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction." Pittsburgh, PA.
9/24/10 Challenging Marcellus Shale: Consequences and Alternatives
This conference addressed the health, environmental and community effects Pennsylvania will face with the development of the Marcellus Shale natural gas fields.
Mellon Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
CHEC Speaker: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH.
9/22/10 UMRA Watershed Meeting - Marcellus Shale Issues
Speakers: Jim Martin, Director, Office of Oil and Gas, WV - DEP; Charles Christen, DrPH, MPH, Director of Operations, Center for Healthy Environments & Communities, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh; Veronica Coptis, Community Organizer, Mountain Watershed Association, Yough Watershed, Melcroft, PA; Rose Reilly, Water Resource Specialist, Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh; and Duane Nichols, Co-Chair, Watershed Steering Committee.
Morgantown, WV.
9/16/10 State of the Monongahela River Research Symposium
Michanowicz D, Malone S. Hosted by the Center for Water Quality in Urban Environmental Systems (Water Quest) at Carnegie Mellon University. Poster presentation. Pittsburgh, PA.
9/9-10/10 Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction Research & Questions
Volz CD, Malone S, Christen C. Geneva College Colloquia Series. Geneva College, PA.
Also lectured for several environmental & engineering courses.
9/9/10 Marcellus Shale Tele-Town Hall Meeting hosted by Senator Jim Ferlo (PA-38)
CHEC Speaker: Christen C. More information: Mikhail Pappas, Policy & Projects Liaison to Senator Jim Ferlo, 412.621.3006, mpappas@pasenate.com.
8/27/10 What Do We Need to Know? The Potential Public Health Impacts of Marcellus Shale Drilling
Volz CD, Christen C, Malone S. University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Symposium. Pittsburgh, PA.
8/10/10 CHEC Marcellus Shale meeting - Introducing FracTracker.org
Volz CD, Christen C, Malone S. Ithaca, NY. Link for more information about this series of meetings.
7/29/10 Marcellus Shale drilling & its Impact on the Urban Environment
CHEC Speaker: Chuck Christen, DrPH, MEd. Panel discussion.
Teamsters Temple in Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, PA.
Contact CHEC for more information: 412-624-9379, chec@pitt.edu
7/29/10 CHEC Eastern PA Mtg on Marcellus Shale data tracking - FracTracker.org
CHEC Speakers: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH; Charles Christen, DrPH, MEd; Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH. Danville, PA. Hosted by CHEC & Foundation for PA Watersheds. Link for more information about this series of meetings.
7/22/10 CHEC Western PA Mtg on Marcellus Shale data tracking - FracTracker.org
CHEC Speakers: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH; Charles Christen, DrPH, MEd; Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH; Drew Michanowicz, MPH, CPH. Pittsburgh, PA. Hosted by CHEC & Foundation for PA Watersheds. Link for more information about this series of meetings.
7/22/10 EPA Public Information Meeting / Hearing
Hilton Garden Inn, 1000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317
CHEC Speaker: Charles Christen, MEd, DrPH. Public Health Concerns Surrounding Gas Extraction Activities.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting four public information meetings in relevant regions on the proposed study of the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and its potential impacts on drinking water. The meetings will provide public information about the proposed study scope and design.
Contact Info: Rebecca Foster, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, foster.rebecca@epa.gov or Steve Doub, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, doub.steven@epa.gov
7/15/10 Town Meeting: Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling
Penn State - New Kensington Campus, New Kensington, PA, 15068.
Presented by Concerned Citizens of Upper Burrell & SW PA.
Discussion Panel: Dan Volz, PhD - University of Pittsburgh - CHEC; John Stolz, PhD - Duquesne University - Center for Environmental Research & Education; John Smith – Solicitor for Cecil Township; Mikhail Pappas - Policy & Projects Liaison to PA Senator Jim Ferlo; Ken Varhola – Chief of Staff to PA Senator Sean Logan 
7/12/10 Marcellus Shale gas extraction & public health
CHEC Speaker: Charles Christen, MEd, DrPH. Pittsburgh City Council Post Agenda - Marcellus Shale. Pittsburgh City Council, 5th Floor Council Chambers, Pittsburgh PA.
6/29/10 Marcellus Shale meeting - Introducing FracTracker.org (1st of 5)
Omni Bedford Hotel, Bedford, PA. Hosted by CHEC & Foundation for PA Watersheds. Speakers: Volz CD, Christen C, Malone S, Dawes J, Kirby C, Knauer J. CHEC is hosting a series of meetings with key personnel who are working to address Marcellus Shale gas extraction's impact on the environment & public health throughout PA, WV & NY. Please contact us with questions or to request to participate in one of the other 4 meetings to be held this summer in NY, PA, & WV: chec@pitt.edu
6/14/10 Regional Forum - "In the Public Interest? An Assessment of the Geographical Distribution of Pennsylvania Business Subsidies".
Regional Enterprise Tower, Pittsburgh, PA. This forum discussed Pittsburgh agenda setting for steering investments in step with our region's emerging planning & programming for sustainable development. Presented by: Keystone Research Center & Sustainable Pittsburgh.
6/5/10 Screening of Josh Fox's documentary 'Gasland'
Byham Theater, Pittsburgh, PA. Hosted by Clean Water Action, CHEC, & many others. Panel members: Myron Arnowitt (CWA), Rep. Dave Levdansky (PA State House Representative), Ned Mulcahy (Three Rivers Waterkeeper), John Stolz, PhD (Duquesne University), Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH (CHEC), & Josh Fox - Filmmaker.
Event Flyer
CHEC's Efforts
5/25/10 Marcellus Shale Community Presentation
Hosted by Youghiogheny Riverkeeper. Speakers: Deb Simko (Chestnut Ridge Trout Unlimited), Attorney Richard Ehmann, Ned Mulcahy (Three Rivers Waterkeeper), Myron Arnowitt (CWA), & Charles Christen (CHEC). Community presentation on the potential impacts of MSGE on public health, quality of life, & the environment. Hosted by Youghiogheny Riverkeeper. Indian Head, PA.
5/13/10 Potential Impacts of Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction
Cannon Coffee Shop, 802 Brookline Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA
Community presentation on the potential impacts of MSGE on public health, quality of life, & the environment. Speakers: Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH (CHEC), Steve Hvozdovich (CWA) & Patrick Grenter (Three Rivers Waterkeeper)
5/5/10 Potential Impacts of Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Extraction
Murrysville Municipal Building, Murrysville, PA 15668
Presented to the Murrysville Municipal Council
CHEC Speaker: Charles Christen, MEd, LPC. "Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction: Potential Public Health Impacts"
5/3-4/10 PEC's Marcellus Shale Policy Conference
The Power Center, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
Hosted by Pennsylvania Environmental Council & Duquesne University.
CHEC Speaker: Charles Christen, MEd, LPC. "Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction: Potential Public Health Impacts & CHEC Research & Outreach Initiatives." PwPt | Learn more
5/1/10 Global Solutions Spring Luncheon - Water Issues: Global to Local
RiverQuest Explorer, Pittsburgh, PA
Hosted by Global Solutions Pittsburgh
CHEC Speaker: Drew Michanowicz, MPH, CPH
4/22/10 Potential Public Health Impacts of Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction Activities & Underground Gas Storage Facilities
Hoyt Science Center, Phillips Lecture Hall, Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA
Speaker: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH
Dr. Volz questioned the conventional wisdom & statements that shale gas extraction is a net benefit for individuals, communities & the State of PA by presenting information on the known & potential impacts to communities, based on the boomtown model.
4/21/10 Town Hall Meeting: Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Drilling Concerns
Mifflin School Auditorium, Pittsburgh, PA
Hosted by the Lincoln Place Action Group, this meeting will utilize a discussion panel of citizens & professionals, including: Clean Water Action, Charles Christen of CHEC, Lisa Graves-Marcucci, & Stephanie Hallowich, Resident of Hickory, PA.
For more information, please contact: lactiongroup@gmail.com, 412-567-3454.
4/21/10 Heinz Women's Health & the Environment Conference
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Free & open to the public. Sponsored by Teresa Heinz, The Heinz Endowments & Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. Learn more
4/19/10 Effects of Marcellus Shale Gas Extraction
Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA
Speaker: Conrad (Dan) Volz, DrPH, MPH
4/19/10 Fifth Annual Monongahela River Summit
Waterfront Place Hotel, Morgantown, WV
Energy Issues, Drinking Water, & the Dunkard Creek Fish Kill: Current Issues & Emerging Opportunities for the Mon River. Learn more
4/19/10 Mayor of Dish, Texas - Experience with Barnett Shale natural gas extraction
Duquesne University, Pappert Lecture Hall, Pittsburgh PA
Calvin Tillman, Mayor of Dish, Texas, spoke as part of his tour of the Northeast. He addressed his experience with Barnett Shale natural gas extraction for people concerned over Marcellus Shale gas extraction here in PA.
4/16-17/10 The Marcellus Shale: Development, Environment, & Community
Bucknell University, PA
A symposium hosted by Bucknell University's Institute of Public Policy. Speakers included: John Quigley, Secretary of the PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, & John Hanger, Secretary of the PA Department of Environmental Protection. Learn more
4/16/10 Pittsburgh Green Drinks
Mitchell's Restaurant, 304 Ross St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Come join us for a Green Drinks discussion about the opportunities & environmental challenges presented by the Marcellus Shale play, with comments by our host, George Jugovic, Jr., Regional Director, Southwest Regional Office, PA Department of Environmental Protection. For more information visit: Learn more
4/14/10 Marcellus Shale Conference
Grove City College, Sticht Lecture Hall in the Hall of Arts & Letters.
Speakers: Charles Christen & Conrad (Dan) Volz, DrPH, MPH
This conference addressed concerns regarding the environmental impacts of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.
4/13/10 Global Health Film Series: FLOW - For Love Of Water
A115 Crabtree Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health
Speaker: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH
Sponsored by the Global Health Student Association & Center for Global Health. Learn more
4/9/10 Inclusive Voices, A Community Exchange Luncheon
Omni William Penn Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 530 William Penn Place, Pittsburgh PA
Speaker: Conrad (Dan) Volz, DrPH, MPH: "Marcellus Shale Public Health Threats"
Hosted by the Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise (PACE).
4/3/10 Living Near Natural Gas Facilities? Public Educational Meeting
Pleasant Union Church Building, Clearville, PA
Sponsored by Concerned Clearville Citizens, Guest Speaker: Ron Gulla - Flyer
3/26/10 GSPH Dean's Junior Faculty Seminar
CHEC Speaker: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH - The Marcellus Shale Gas Field Development: Environmental & Behavioral & Community Health Impacts
University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
3/18/10 Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Stewardship Summit
CHEC Speaker: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH
Hosted by the Center for Natural Resources Development & Protection. Philadelphia, PA
3/9/10 Marcellus Shale: Volunteer Monitoring Meeting for Service Providers
CHEC Participants: Charles Christen & Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH
Hosted by Penn State University. University Park, PA. Read more
3/8/10 Impacts of Marcellus Shale Drilling
Lincoln Place Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA
Speaker: Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH

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2009

11/21/09 Water Workshop 2009 - Water: A Global Crisis - A Workshop for Science Teachers, Sponsored by Pittsburgh Regional Center for Science Teachers (PRCST) & the PA NASA Educator Resource Center
Speakers: Dr. Jeanne VanBriesen (CMU) & Drew Michanowicz, MPH (CHEC)
11/11/09 2009 APHA Conference
A Revised Aquatic Hazard Assessment of Bisphenol A: Evidence that current risk models may not be sufficiently protective. Wright-Walters M, Volz CD, Talbott EO, Davis. APHA Conference, Philadelphia, PA. Abstract# 203316»

11/10/09 2009 APHA Conference
Community participatory driven research; Comparisons of water quality variables & concentrations of toxic elements downstream from Allegheny River gravel mining operations during periods of activity & inactivity. Volz CD, Michanowicz D, Murray M, Christen C, Sharma RK, Talbott E, Good S, Ferrar K. 2009 APHA Conference, Philadelphia, PA. Abstract# 200296 | Presentation (PDF)
11/9/09 2009 APHA Conference
Community-based participatory environmental health research to improve water quality on a major water source in Southwestern PA. Christen C, Volz CD, Caruso P, DeMarco PM. 2009 APHA Conference, Philadelphia, PA. Abstract #197439»
11/9/09 2009 APHA Conference
Coal combustion waste placement in PA; An environmental justice issue with implications for contamination of surface & ground waters & human & ecological exposure via inhalation & ingestion. Ferrar K, Volz CD, Lawson CM, Michanowicz A, Christen C, Longo C, Sharma RK, Talbott EO, Collins EA, Graves-Marcucci L. APHA Conference, Philadelphia, PA. Abstract# 202076»
10/28/09 2009 National Environmental Public Health Conference
CHEC Presenter: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH
"An exploratory study of mercury release data with biomarkers of neuro-developmental disorders in children from Southwestern PA" Abstract»
10/26/09 GSPH Informational Marketplace
Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA
CHEC had an informational booth as part of GSPH's Open House for prospective students.
10/15/09 Grow Your Knowledge of Cancer: Prevention & Detection Conference
St. John's Episcopal Church, Sharon, PA
CHEC Speaker: Charles Christen, MEd, LPC
"Environmental Factors and Cancer Risk" - Brochure (PDF)»
10/6/09 Grow Your Knowledge of Cancer: Prevention & Detection Conference
Leslie N Firth Learning Center, Mercer, PA
CHEC Speaker: Charles Christen, MEd, LPC
"Environmental Factors and Cancer Risk" - Brochure (PDF)»
10/6/09 24th International Activated Carbon Conference - CHEC Speaker: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH - Title: "Endocrine Disruptors Problems & Solutions" Pittsburgh, PA. Read more»
9/25/09 Third Annual Rachel Carson Legacy Conference - "When Chemicals Disrupt: Managing Our Risks" Bidwell Training Center, Pittsburgh, PA. CHEC Speaker: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH - Title: "Wildlife Effects from Exposure to Xenoestrogens: State of the Science"
5/21/09 Opening Pandora's Box - Coal & Your Health: From Cradle to Grave - CHEC Speaker: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH - Forum 1: Water»
4/30/09 Coal Combustion Waste & Water Quality testimony - CHEC Speaker: Dan Volz, MPH, DrPH testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Water Resources & Environment regarding “Coal Combustion Waste & Water Quality." The Subcommittee requested testimony regarding the water quality impacts of coal combustion waste storage & what actions should be taken to mitigate these impacts. Testimony (PDF)»
3/16/09 ARSP Community Meeting - Allegheny Township Community Building, Leechburg, PA
Community Meeting to present results of the Allegheny River Stewardship Project
3/11/09 Ecological & Human Health Risk from Coal Combustion Waste - Kent State University
CHEC Speaker: Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH
3/2/09 Volz CD. Testimony in Support of Mussel Endangerment in the Allegheny River, Outcomes of Allegheny River Stewardship Project - River Mining Research on Ecotoxicity, Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Kittanning, PA

2/24/09

Sharma R, Parmanto B, Lee PC, Volz Jr CD. Spatio-Temporal Visualization of Environmental & Health Indicators. Presentation at the “Tracks2009: The Future of Environmental Public Health” Conference. February 2009. Washington DC. (PPT)
2/5/09 Volz CD, Christen C, Michanowicz D, Malone S. Report of Outcomes of the Allegheny River Stewardship Project, Ford City, PA 
1/26/09 Volz CD. Guest Lecture, "Pharmaceuticals & Xenoestrogens in Water," Chatham University, Core Biology Group, Pittsburgh, PA
1/21/09 Volz CD, & Christen C. Community-Based Participatory Environmental Research: Lessons from the Allegheny River Stewardship Project, Seminar Series, Behavioral & Community Health Sciences dept., GSPH, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

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2008

12/12/08 Volz CD & Christen C. "Environment & Health: A Systems Approach," Sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Education, Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
11/14/08 Volz CD & Christen C. "The Allegheny River Stewardship Project: Building Science on Community Participation," Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals (PAEP), Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh, PA
11/14/08 Volz CD. "Health Hazards Associated with the Coal Combustion Cycle," Sponsored by the Center for Coal Field Justice, Washington, PA
11/12/08 Volz CD. "Water Quality Issues in Southwestern PA," University of Pittsburgh Environmental Club, David Lawrence Hall, Pittsburgh, PA
10/18/08 Volz CD. “The Relationship Between Channel Catfish Estrogenicity Index & the Density of Combined & Sanitary Sewer Overflows:  Significantly Elevated Mercury & Selenium Concentrations in Channel Catfish Fillet from Kittanning, PA versus the Pittsburgh Pool,” Sponsored by the American Society of Chemists, Pittsburgh, PA
10/15/08 Volz CD & Christen, C. Outcomes of the Allegheny River Stewardship Project, Western PA Water Roundtable, Pittsburgh, PA
10/15/08 Volz CD. “Levels of Estrogen Contaminants in Surface Water: Implications for Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Human Consumption,” International Seafood Seminar, Sponsored by the PA Food Scientists & the Department of Agriculture, Pittsburgh, PA
10/12/08 Xu X, Sharma R, Talbott E, Zborowski J, Rager J, Arena V, Volz C. PM10 Air Pollution Exposure During Pregnancy & Term Low Birth Weight in Allegheny County, PA 1994-2000," 2008 Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, October 12-16, 2008, Pasadena, CA. Abstract
9/25/08 Volz CD. Women’s Health & the Environment: New Science, New Solutions, New Science Panelist, “Science that Bridges the False Divide Between Ecological & Human Health” Ecological & Human Health Risks from Coal Combustion Products, Sponsored by Teresa Heinz, The Heinz Endowments & Magee-Women’s Hospital of UPMC, David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh PA. Presentation (PDF) | Lecture (PDF)
9/5/08 Christen C, Caruso P, DeMarco P, Morrison J, Mutetwa B, Niederberger P, Volz CD. The Application of Community-Based Participatory Environmental Research (CBPR) on the Study of the Quality of a Major Regional Water Source. Presentation to the Ohio River Basin Consortia for Research & Education. (PDF)
9/4/08 University of Pittsburgh Academic Center for Excellence in Environmental Public Health Tracking, Advisory Board Meeting, CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, Volz CD, Report on Biomonitoring of Fishes to Identify Sources of Pollution, GSPH, Pittsburgh, PA
6/4/08 Volz CD. "Water Shed Contamination by Metals & Organic Chemicals." Conservation District Management Summit. Hosted by The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). Ramada Inn, Atherton Street in State College, PA
5/8/08 Volz CD. Pittsburgh Association of Occupational Physicians (PAOP). "Pharmaceutical Estrogens in Surface Water," Amici's Restaurant, Pittsburgh, PA
4/7/08 Volz CD. "The Allegheny River Stewardship Project & Pharmaceutical Estrogens & Xenoestrogens in Water; A Citizen Science Program," University of Pittsburgh, Bradford PA Campus; Sponsored by the McKean County Conservation District & Pennsylvania State University, College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension, McKean County
3/29/08 Volz CD. "Contaminants Emitted from Electrical Generating Facilities in Southwestern PA," Group Against Smog & Pollution (GASP), Rodef Shalom Temple, Pittsburgh, PA
3/3/08 Volz CD. "Contamination in the Allegheny River Valley-What Individuals Can Do to Help," Café Scientifique, Penn Brewery, Pittsburgh, PA
2/29/08 Volz CD. 1st Annual Volunteer Internship & Career Day, Employer Panel Participant, GSPH, University of Pittsburgh
2/7/08 Volz CD. "The Tale of Two Area Fish & What they Tell Us About Water Quality," Environmental & Occupational Health Departmental Presentation, GSPH-EOH
2/7/08 Volz CD. "The Allegheny River Stewardship Project; How Community & Non-Profit Organizations Can Help," Water Quality Roundtable, Millvale, PA
1/24/08 Volz CD. "Estrogenicity Levels in Three Rivers Fish are Correlated with High Densities of Sewer Overflows," PADEP, Emerging Contaminants Forum, Harrisburg, PA
1/17/08 Volz CD. "Mercury Concentrations in River & Store-Bought Freshwater Fish of the Same Species," Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Mount Pleasant, PA
1/15/08 Lenzner D, Stone R, Wilson J, Volz CD. Novel statistical methodologies to determine if channel catfish estrogenicity is higher in areas with dense concentrations of sewer overflows. University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Center for Environmental Oncology (CEO-UPCI) Scientific Research Group Meeting, Hillman Cancer Center
1/15/08 Volz CD. The Allegheny River Stewardship Project Community Meeting, Crooked Creek Environmental Center, Ford City PA

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2007

11/7/07 Houghton F, Volz CD, Liu Y, Price C, Elm M, Davis D, Donovan M, Eagon P. Oral Presentation 5041.0: "Use of a human breast cancer cell proliferation assay as an exposure assessment tool for total bioaccumulated xenoestrogens in Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) caught in various locations on the Allegheny, Monongahela & Ohio Rivers near Pittsburgh PA: Implications for consumption of river-caught fish 2007," 2007 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting, Washington, DC. Full Text
11/7/07 Volz CD, Sussman N, Davis D, Donovan M, Liu Y, Brady S, Gainey K, Zborowski J. Oral Presentation 5041.0: "Mercury, Arsenic & Selenium in White Bass fillet caught in the Allegheny & Monongahela Rivers near Pittsburgh PA; Comparisons with store-bought fish from Canadian Lake Erie," 2007 APHA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC. Full text
11/7/07 Volz CD, Liu Y, Sussman N, Brady S, Caruso P, Green T, Arnowitt M, Peterson J, Christen C, Donovan M, Davis DL, Eagon P, McMahon K, Sharma R. Oral Presentation, 5041.0: "Mercury, Arsenic & Selenium in Channel Catfish from the Allegheny, Monongahela & Ohio Rivers near Pittsburgh PA: Implications for metallotoxin source identification & fish consumption by local anglers," 2007 APHA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC. Full text | Presentation (PDF)
11/7/07 Christen C, Volz CD, Caruso P, Arnowitt M, Brady S, Liu Y, Davis DL, & Talbott EO. Accepted 5041.0: "Results of semi-subsistence & recreational angler focus groups: Reports of combined sewer overflows, chemical releases & associated water-related illnesses in the Three Rivers area of Pittsburgh," 2007 APHA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC. Full text
11/7/07 Volz CD. Accepted-Session Moderator, Contaminants in Freshwater Fish: Toxicity, Sources & Risk Communication, 5041.0: "Chemical contaminants in freshwater fish present potential health risks for subsistence fishers & recreational anglers," 2007 APHA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC. Full text
10/30/07 Volz CD. Community Awareness Presentation of the Allegheny River Stewardship Project, Alle-Kiski Health Foundation, Heinz Endowments & Highmark Foundation, Pittsburgh Mills Mall, Frazier Township, PA
10/24/07 Volz CD. The Allegheny River Stewardship Project, Three Rivers Water Roundtable, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Pittsburgh, PA
10/11/07 Volz CD, Houghton F, Sussman N, Lenzner D, Davis D, Donovan M, El-Hefnawy T, Eagon P. Science 2007, University of Pittsburgh, "Estrogenicity of channel catfish tissue is associated with high densities of sewer overflows in Pittsburgh PA; Implications for human population exposure to xenoestrogens from drinking water in the Greater Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area," Alumni Hall, Pittsburgh, PA. Full text (Doc)
10/11/07 Liu Y, Volz CD, Sussman N, Sharma R. Science 2007, University of Pittsburgh, "Mercury, arsenic & selenium in Channel Catfish (Ictalarus punctatus): Implications for pollution source identification & food safety," Alumni Hall, Pittsburgh, PA
10/5/07 Volz CD, Komen Foundation (Race for the Cure) & Heinz Endowments, "Local & national water & the estrogenic properties effecting both men & women," Third Annual Health & the Environment Conference, Elk Regional Health System, Women's Health Initiative, St. Mary's, PA
9/25/07 Volz CD, Central Atlantic States Association, Food & Drug Officials: "Toxic contaminants in commercial & river caught fish," Pittsburgh Conference, Pittsburgh, PA
9/19/07 Volz CD. The Winchester Thurston School Honors Program, Combined Sewer Overflows in Pittsburgh, PA & Associated Water Quality Threats, The Winchester Thurston School, Pittsburgh, PA
9/17/07 Volz CD. Lunch & Learn Series: Continuing Medical Education Program- Environmental Links to Cancer, CEO-UPCI, "Using Area Fish to Aid in Pollution Source Identification & Assess Human Exposure to Xenoestrogens, Mercury & Arsenic," Herberman Auditorium, Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh PA
9/14/07 Walters M, & Volz CD. Third National Conference on Environmental Science & Technology, "Pharmaceutical estrogens & Xenoestrogens in wastewater treatment plant effluent: Implications for both human & wildlife effects," North Carolina A&T, Greensboro, NC
9/13/07 Volz CD, Houghton F, Sussman N, Lenzner D, Davis D, Donovan M, El-Hefnawy T, Eagon P. Third National Conference on Environmental Science & Technology, "Catfish estrogenicity & its association with sewer overflows: Implications for human exposure," North Carolina A&T, Greensboro, NC
8/23/07 Volz CD. Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, Water Committee Task Force. "Methods to assess left censored or non-detect data," Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Washington DC, EPA Headquarters
8/8/07 Volz CD. Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, University of Pittsburgh Academic Center for Excellence (UPACE), Advisory Group Meeting. "Biomonitoring fishes for exposure assessment & source location purposes: Examples for mercury, arsenic, selenium & estrogenicity," GSPH, Pittsburgh, PA 
6/30/07 Volz CD, Singleton K, Rucekova A. "CESRA & the Wolf Creek Water Group, Use of a Community Based Participatory Research Program in the Grove City Area to understand patterns of disease & cancer mortality," Grove City, PA
6/15/07 Volz CD, Houghton F, Sussman N, Lenzner D, El-Hefnawy T, Davis D, Donovan M, Eagon P. UPCI Scientific Retreat, Estrogenicity of Channel Catfish fillet & dense concentrations of combined & sanitary sewer overflows. University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg, PA
6/12/07 Volz CD, Houghton F, Sussman N, Lenzner D, El-Hefnawy T, Davis D, Donovan M, Eagon P. CEO-UPCI, Research Meeting, "Novel ways to assess estrogenicity in fish & the use of GIS methods to determine proximity to pollution sources," Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
6/9/07 Volz CD, Houghton F, Sussman N, Lenzner D, El-Hefnawy T, Davis D, Donovan M, Eagon P. REACH: A New EU Approach to Chemical Safety: Lessons for the United States, "The case of pharmaceutical estrogens & xenoestrogens in combined & sanitary sewer overflow waste streams & wastewater treatment effluent," Sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh European Studies Center & The University of Pittsburgh GSPH
4/18/07 Volz CD, Houghton F, Sussman N, Lenzner D, Liu Y, Davis D, Donovan M, Eagon P. Pittsburgh Environmental Health Summit, "Biomonitoring fishes for estrogenicity, & mercury levels in the Allegheny, Ohio & Monongahela Rivers," Sponsored by EPHT & GSPH, Holiday Inn, Campus, Pittsburgh, PA
4/17/07 Houghton F, Liu Y, Price CJ, Elm MS, Donovan M, Davis D, Volz CD, Eagon P. "Estrogenicity of tissue extracts from white bass & channel catfish caught along the Three Rivers of Pittsburgh, PA," American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Los Angeles, California. Full text
3/16/07 Liu Y, Volz CD, Sussman N. Deans Day Student Presentations, First Prize Winner, Dean's Day- GSPH, Pittsburgh, PA
3/14/07 Volz CD. Results of the Pittsburgh Fish Consumption Study of 2005, Water Quality Roundtable, Sponsored by the Heinz Endowments & the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Pittsburgh, PA


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2006

10/7/06 Volz CD. Global Problems, Global Solutions, LaRoche College & GSPH, Environment Presenter, "Water Management: The Most Important Public Health Challenge of the 21st Century"
9/15/06 Volz CD. "The Relationship of Land & Water Management to Flood Risk & Contaminant Deposition for Weathering the Storm: Lessons from the Floods," Wyndham Garden Hotel, Pittsburgh, PA
6/1/06 Volz CD. Skopje, Macedonia. NATO Advanced Science Institute. “Conceptual Models to Assist in Radionuclide, & Toxic & Carcinogenic Chemical & Metal Exposure Assessment,” also Course Co-Director


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CHEC Brochures

Current Version: 2009 | Previous Versions: 2007-2008 | 2005-2007

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