Residents in Allen, a town in Argentine Patagonia, have reported a range of illnesses, including severe migraines, nausea, skin irritation, cancers, congenital abnormalities, miscarriages, and stillbirths. These health issues are reportedly affecting foetuses and children, with residents stating they began 13 years ago after a gas and oil well was drilled near their homes.
Calle Ciega 10, on the eastern edge of Vaca Muerta, is home to approximately 20 families. Roxana Valverde, a long-term resident, noted an increase in cancer cases and women unable to carry pregnancies to term since the well's operation. Doctors have indicated that pollution from fracking could be a cause, though they acknowledge the need for in-depth studies to establish certainty.
Vaca Muerta, covering over 11,500 square miles, has been extracting gas and oil using fracking since 2012. The region, which holds the world's second-largest reserve of shale gas and fourth-largest of shale oil, is crucial to Argentina's economy. By the end of 2025, crude oil from Vaca Muerta surpassed soya bean meal as the country's leading export, partly due to investments from European companies, including the UK's Shell.
Fracking is described as an invasive technique with environmental risks, linked by scientific studies to ecological harm and health issues such as respiratory and skin conditions, cancer, congenital disabilities, miscarriages, and pregnancy complications. Indigenous Mapuche communities in the region, such as the Zonal Xawvn Ko Mapuche confederation and the Añelo Lof Campo Maripe Mapuche community, also report numerous health concerns, including miscarriages, nervous and respiratory system disorders, and various cancers.
Medical professionals, including Silvia Ávila, dean of the faculty of medicine at the National University of Comahue, are raising concerns and calling for government monitoring of citizens' health, transparency, and publication of results. Health ministers in Neuquén and Río Negro provinces declined to comment when approached.