Babies born to women who live near active oil and gas wells in rural California are 40% more likely to have low birthweights, finds a new, first-of-its-kind study by UC researchers. The finding did not hold up for urban areas, including significant portions of the Los Angeles area, but public health and environmental science, policy, and management professor Rachel Morello-Frosch, the study's senior author, says, "I don't think it means that urban people don't have to worry." It's possible, she says, that the link to low birthrates exists there, but that it's less noticeable because oil and gas may comprise a smaller share of overall pollution in those areas. The timing of the study is significant because California is considering new legislation concerning future oil exploration in the state. For more on this, see our press release at Berkeley News. Other stories on this topic have appeared in the Guardian, Bloomberg News, and HealthDay.