Potential public health hazards, exposures and health effects from unconventional natural gas development

Details

• Personal Author:
  Adgate JL ; Goldstein BD ; McKenzie LM ; Adgate JL ; Goldstein BD ; McKenzie LM
• Description:
  The rapid increase in unconventional natural gas (UNG) development in the United States during the past decade has brought wells and related infrastructure closer to population centers. This review evaluates risks to public health from chemical and nonchemical stressors associated with UNG, describes likely exposure pathways and potential health effects, and identifies major uncertainties to address with future research. The most important occupational stressors include mortality, exposure to hazardous materials and increased risk of industrial accidents. For communities near development and production sites the major stressors are air pollutants, ground and surface water contamination, truck traffic and noise pollution, accidents and malfunctions, and psychosocial stress associated with community change. Despite broad public concern, no comprehensive population-based studies of the public health effects of UNG operations exist. Major uncertainties are the unknown frequency and duration of human exposure, future extent of development, potential emission control and mitigation strategies, and a paucity of baseline data to enable substantive before and after comparisons for affected populations and environmental media. Overall, the current literature suggests that research needs to address these uncertainties before we can reasonably quantify the likelihood of occurrence or magnitude of adverse health effects associated with UNG production in workers and communities. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Air Pollutants, Occupational Chemistry Environmental Exposure Hazardous Substances Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Public Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accidents Air Pollutants Chemical Hazards Chemical Properties Exposure Levels Hazards Health Effects Health Hazards Industrial Exposures Industrial Hazards Natural Gas Noise Pollution Psychological Stress Psychosocial Factors Public Health Stress Trucking

  More +
• ISSN:
  0013-936X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Volume:
  48
• Issue:
  15
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048984
• Citation:
  Environ Sci Technol 2014 Feb; 48(15):8307-8320
• Contact Point Address:
  John L. Adgate, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Denver, 13001 E. 17th Place, Campus Box B119, Aurora, Colorado 80045
• Email:
  John.Adgate@ucdenver.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  University of Colorado, Denver
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20070701
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Science and Technology
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d3f82d7ad1783d7a76bd994fb11cb62c4007bee8687164081f870f07eedfd003966582a1a3c97a44a05380c1c070dc32c82b4c87d10f158473e9608e22d1d7a5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203589/cdc_203589_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.28 MB ]