Shale gas development and respiratory health

[摘要] Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" has rapidly increased in areas rich in shale gas and oil in the years 2006 onwards. Areas that have undergone shale gas development are likely to be largely rural with few other air pollution point sources. Fracking operations such as well drilling, gas processing, and increased truck traffic are all predicted to contribute to localized air pollution in areas where fracking has been intensifying. Using the natural experiment of the New York fracking ban and intensifying fracking in Northeastern Pennsylvania, oil and gas well data and state inpatient respiratory records are combined to estimate the effect of various levels of shale gas development on respiratory admissions. A border exclusion was applied to account for air pollution spillovers. We find that the presence of fracking wells affects elderly respiratory hospital admissions by increasing admission rates 16-31%, and the results are robust across different levels of fracking and border exclusions.

[效力级别] Health

[关键词] Fracking;Health