BUTLER — Marcellus Outreach Butler, a grassroots information organization, held a public seminar Saturday at the Butler Public Library.

The seminar featured retired pediatrician Dr. Ned Ketyer, who spoke about the potential side effects of fracking. Ketyer is a consultant for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project.

“Plastic is the one thing that nature doesn’t need any more of,” Ketyer said.

Citing studies and peer-reviewed articles, Ketyer addressed recent cases of Ewing sarcoma and other rare cancers found in school children in Southwestern Pennsylvania over the last few years. The cause, Ketyer said, is directly linked to chemicals released during fracking.

“What goes up in the air eventually comes down,” Ketyer said.

Ketyer provided a list of elements known to cause illnesses that are either used or tapped into during the fracking process.

These elements, he said, make up air emissions from well pads and fracking sites.

Emissions can’t always be seen or smelled, but they drift with wind. Ketyer warned visitors the elements can be disruptive to human health.

He said pregnant women, babies, the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions are more likely to develop disorders or cancer if they live near a gas pad.

In Pennsylvania, a gas pad must be set back at least 500 feet from a house.

Ketyer likened the Ohio River Valley part of the Pennsylvania to Southeast Louisiana, where industrial plants sit along the Mississippi River. Clusters of cancer patients in recent years have lead to the area being called “Cancer Alley.”

“This is what is coming here,” Ketyer said. “This area has a bull’s-eye on its chest.”

Ketyer suggested people talk to their doctors about health risks associated with fracking. He also encouraged people to learn more about the industry as it pertains to Pennsylvania.

“This is not a political issue,” Ketyer said. “It’s planet or plastic.”

“We got to get this information out,” said Michael Badges-Canning, MOB planning group member.