The study results suggest that O&G emissions reduction policies, such as the forthcoming EPA methane regulations, may produce immediate and significantair quality benefits to human health along with significant climate benefits. But the health effects also extended into densely populated cities with little or no gas activity, such as Chicago, New York City, Baltimore, Washington DC, and Orlando. These impacts were largely concentrated in areas with significant oil and gas production, such as southwest Pennsylvania, Texas, and Eastern Colorado. Comparatively, this total is three times the estimated climate impact costs of methane emissions from oil and gas operations. Factoring in related respiratory and cardiovascular-related hospitalizations, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and other health challenges, oil and gas production was responsible for $77 billion in annual health costs. oil and gas production contributed to 7,500 excess deaths, 410,000 asthma attacks, and 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma across the U.S. The findings show that the pollutants nitrogen oxide, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) from U.S. Published in the journal Environmental Research: Health, the study found that air pollution from the oil and gas sector in the United States has substantial adverse impacts on air quality, human health, and health costs. While there is extensive research on the climate effects of O&G-produced methane-a key contributor to air pollution-few studies have measured the health effects of the air pollution that O&G activity generates.Ī new study led by the School of Public Health, the University of North Carolina Institute for the Environment (UNC-IE), PSE Healthy Energy, and Environmental Defense Fund fills this gap. Despite global efforts to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, oil and gas (O&G) production is nearing record levels in the United States, posing concern among health experts about what this O&G growth means for air quality and human health.
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