Title: Environmental health research recommendations from the Inter-Environmental Health Sciences Core Center Working Group on unconventional natural gas drilling operations.

Authors: Penning, Trevor M; Breysse, Patrick N; Gray, Kathleen; Howarth, Marilyn; Yan, Beizhan

Published In Environ Health Perspect, (2014 Nov)

Abstract: Unconventional natural gas drilling operations (UNGDO) (which include hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling) supply an energy source that is potentially cleaner than liquid or solid fossil fuels and may provide a route to energy independence. However, significant concerns have arisen due to the lack of research on the public health impact of UNGDO.Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCCs), funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), formed a working group to review the literature on the potential public health impact of UNGDO and to make recommendations for needed research.The Inter-EHSCC Working Group concluded that a potential for water and air pollution exists that might endanger public health, and that the social fabric of communities could be impacted by the rapid emergence of drilling operations. The working group recommends research to inform how potential risks could be mitigated.Research on exposure and health outcomes related to UNGDO is urgently needed, and community engagement is essential in the design of such studies.

PubMed ID: 25036093

MeSH Terms: Environmental Exposure/adverse effects; Environmental Exposure/statistics & numerical data; Environmental Health*; Extraction and Processing Industry/methods*; Groundwater/chemistry; Humans; Natural Gas*; Public Health; Research; Water Pollutants, Chemical/adverse effects*; Water Pollution/statistics & numerical data*