Energy In Depth (April 7, 2025) – An academic with a long history of publishing questionable and heavily criticized research targeting the oil and natural gas industry, is out once again with more deeply flawed research. In the latest iteration, Dr. Lisa McKenzie, a professor at CU’s School of Public Health, attempts to connect residential proximity to oil and natural gas production with instances of childhood leukemia.

Spoiler Alert: By its own admission, the report fails to establish any causal connection between childhood leukemia and oil and gas production – a fact Dr. McKenzie acknowledged in comments to Colorado Public Radio:

“The study did not identify the cause of the increase in leukemia risk, or how exposure to certain chemicals contributes to cancer development. McKenzie said those topics deserve further research. There might also be other ‘confounding’ factors that the study did not fully account for, which could complicate the relationship between oil and gas drilling and cancer risk.

‘We don’t have the data to actually say for example, how much benzene each one of these children were exposed to,’ McKenzie said. ‘We’re just looking at the overall density of oil and gas development, so we don’t know specifically what it is that might be causing childhood leukemia.’” [emphasis added]

Commenting on similar childhood leukemia research that Dr. McKenzie published in 2017, Colorado’s former Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Larry Wolk, made this exact point, noting that finding a “possible association” “does not prove or establish” a connection to oil and gas operations​.

Study Fails To Demonstrate Link Between Energy Development & Cancer