Oil and gas wells and their integrity: Implications for shale and unconventional resource exploitation*

Abstract Data from around the world (Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands, Poland, the UK and the USA) show that more than four million onshore hydrocarbon wells have been drilled globally. Here we assess all the reliable datasets (25) on well barrier and integrity failure in the published literature and online. These datasets include […]

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Highly Elevated Atmospheric Levels of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Uintah Basin, Utah

Abstract Oil and natural gas production in the Western United States has grown rapidly in recent years, and with this industrial expansion, growing environmental concerns have arisen regarding impacts on water supplies and air quality. Recent studies have revealed highly enhanced atmospheric levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from primary emissions in regions of heavy […]

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PSE Study Citation Database on Shale Gas & Tight Oil Development

This citation database provides bibliographic information, abstracts, and links to many of the vetted scientific papers housed in the PSE Healthy Energy Library, as well as other peer-reviewed journal articles. This database is a near exhaustive and evolving list of the peer-reviewed literature that directly pertains to shale gas and tight oil development. This literature […]

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Potential Public Health Hazards, Exposures and Health Effects from Unconventional Natural Gas Development

Abstract 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 […]

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Statement from Concerned Health Professionals of New York Regarding the Investigation on Air Pollution and Fracking by InsideClimate News/The Center for Public Integrity/The Weather Channel

In response to the release of the eight-month investigation ‘Fracking the Eagle Ford Shale’ by InsideClimate News, The Center for Public Integrity and The Weather Channel that found very dangerous air pollution and widespread health impacts, Concerned Health Professionals of New York released the following statement from Sandra Steingraber, PhD and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Ithaca College, and […]

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Birth Outcomes and Maternal Residential Proximity to Natural Gas Development in Rural Colorado

Abstract Background: Birth defects are a leading cause of neonatal mortality. Natural gas development (NGD) emits several potential teratogens and US production is expanding. Objectives: We examined associations between maternal residential proximity to NGD and birth outcomes in a retrospective cohort study of 124,842 births between 1996 and 2009 in rural Colorado. Methods: We calculated inverse distance weighted […]

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Statement by Concerned Health Professionals of New York in Response to a New Study on Hormone-disrupting Contaminants in Water Near Colorado Drilling Sites*

Of the 700-plus chemicals that can be used in drilling and fracking operations, more than 100 are known or suspected endocrine disruptors. Unique among toxic agents, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interfere with hormonal signals, are biologically active at exceedingly low concentrations, and, when exposures occur in early life, can alter pathways of development. In a two-part study published on December […]

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Estrogen and Androgen Receptor Activities of Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals and Surface and Ground Water in a Drilling-Dense Region

Abstract The rapid rise in natural gas extraction utilizing hydraulic fracturing increases the potential for contamination of surface and ground water from chemicals used throughout the process. Hundreds of products containing more than 750 chemicals and components are potentially used throughout the extraction process, including over one hundred known or suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals. We […]

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The role of ethics in shale gas policies

Abstract The United States has experienced a boom in natural gas production due to recent technological innovations that have enabled natural gas to be produced from unconventional sources, such as shale. There has been much discussion about the costs and benefits of developing shale gas among scientists, policy makers, and the general public. The debate […]

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Air quality in the Industrial Heartland of Alberta, Canada and potential impacts on human health

Abstract The “Industrial Heartland” of Alberta is Canada’s largest hydrocarbon processing center, with more than 40 major chemical, petrochemical, and oil and gas facilities. Emissions from these industries affect local signair quality and human health. This paper characterizes ambient levels of 77 volatile organic compounds sign(VOCs) in the region using high-precision measurements collected in summer 2010. Remarkably strong enhancements […]

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Health Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction and Production

Larysa Dyrszka MD DRBC September 11, 2013 Completed health studies, both in the peer-reviewed literature and those initiated or reported by grassroots groups and the press, indicate that significant negative health impacts occur near gas exploration and production activities.  Emerging health studies, including the Geisinger and University of Pennsylvania studies will give a clearer picture […]

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Myths About Fracking Explained, #5: “Shale Gas Poses Minimal Risk to Public Health”

by Sandra Steingraber, PhD Distinguished Scholar in Residence Department of Environmental Studies Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York [email protected]  prepared remarks for presentation (via Skype) at the public conference, Unfracked: Why Shale Gas Should Stay in the Ground, European Parliament, Brussels, 5 September 2013 recorded livestream: http://www.greens-efa.eu/de/unfracked-10219.html Bonjour.  Guten Tag. Good morning from the Fingers Lakes […]

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