American research linking chemicals from coal seam gas extraction to the deaths of scores of animals has prompted calls for a freeze on new drilling licences in Australia.
The University of Massachusetts study, published in the New Solutions journal, examined the impact of gas extraction in six US states.
In one case it found 70 cattle died after waste water was dumped in a creek. In another case 17 cattle died after the release of fracturing fluids into a paddock.
It also identified reproductive problems in domestic animals.
The report also gave two examples where humans became ill after fracking took place near their homes.
In one case a child was treated in hospital for delirium and tests revealed he had arsenic poisoning. The family stopped using their well for drinking water — via redwolf.newsvine.com
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