Amazon Data Centers Linked To Rare Cancers, Miscarriages? Here's What Company Says

Amazon is facing serious health and safety allegations across its US data center operations, with reports linking the facilities to clusters of rare cancers and miscarriages among employees and nearby residents.

The company, which operates one of the world's largest cloud computing infrastructures through Amazon Web Services, is now under the radar, as per Rolling Stone reports. Despite the reports, the denies claims that its operations are responsible for the health issues.

The allegations center around the data center complexes, particularly in areas like Northern Virginia, a major hub for AWS operations. These facilities are known to use powerful chemicals, heavy metals, and intricate cooling systems, creating an industrial environment.

According to Rolling Stone, “data centres suck up tens of millions of gallons of water from the aquifer each year to cool their computer equipment, which then gets funnelled to the Port’s wastewater system.”

This wastewater, that containing nitrates, get sprayed onto nearby farms. But the soil in these areas is porous, which means that it cannot absorb all of it. As a result, even more nitrates sink back into the aquifer.

The company maintains that its facilities adhere strictly to all environmental and occupational safety regulations.

Amazon spokesperson Lisa Levandowski told Rolling Stone that the company uses and returns “only a very small fraction” of the area’s water supply, and that “nitrates are not an additive” used in its operations.

The tech giant stated that the safety of its employees and the communities it serves is its top priority and that it regularly monitors its facilities to ensure compliance with all mandated health and environmental guidelines. The company has offered to cooperate with any official inquiries, reiterating that scientific data does not support the claims of causation.

Levandowski added, “our data centers draw water from the same supply as other community members; nitrates are not an additive we use in any of our processes, and the volume of water our facilities use and return represents only a very small fraction of the overall water system, not enough to have any meaningful impact on water quality.”