Oil Field Operations and Health Issues

  • Residents living in a New Mexico community built on top of a former oilfield with nearby operating wells saw a high occurrence of:

Emphysema

Thyroid disorders

Tumors

Birth Defects[i]

  • Symptoms of heath effects associate with oil and gas production include:

nausea

numbness

swelling

skin irritation

breathing difficulty

headaches[ii]

  • The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act does not apply to oil and gas companies; therefore, those companies can withhold information about how oil and gas operations affect the environment and human health.[iii]
  • Graduates of Beverly Hills High School, a school built on top of capped oil wells, had increased incidences of

Thyroid cancer

Hodgkin’s disease

Testicular Cancer[iv]

  • Oil and gas operators in Beverly Hills illegally vented waste gas in the community. The Air Quality Management District inspector suspected a leak in a gas line.[v]
  • Many oil companies use potentially hazardous chemicals to split layers of rock in order to reach the oil underground.[vi]
  • Pollution from construction:

will affect water quality of Rio Hondo

will generate dust that may exacerbate asthma of downwind residents[vii]

  • Waste water and steam pumped into wells to increase oil extraction can contaminate surface and groundwater, especially in highly fissured areas.[viii]
  • Drilling new wells and other oil field operations can make migration and leakage of methane more likely. Methane can also be easily leaked through abandoned wells - In rare instances this can cause an explosion such as the 1985 explosion in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles.[ix]
  • The benefits of open space can include:

reduced attention-deficit disorder symptoms among children[x]

reduced stress levels[xi]

decreased instances of mortality related to circulatory problems[xii]

longer life span[xiii]

[i] NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) Pub., “Land Facts; Drilling Down.” Oct 2007.

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Ibid.

[iv]Horowitz, Joy. The poisoning of an American HighSchool : [if it can happen in Beverly Hills, it can happen anywhere] New York, N.Y : Penguin Books, 2008.

[v] Ibid.

[vi] Lustgarten, Abrahm. "Hidden Danger of Gas Drilling". BusinessWeek 24 November 2008.

[vii]Cole, Brian. Dr. P.H., UCLA School of Public Health “Health Concerns Related to Proposed Expansion of Oilfield Operations in the Baldwin Hills” November 28, 2007.

[viii]Ibid.

[ix]Ibid.

[x] Ibid.

[xi] Boseley, Sarah. National: Green spaces promote good health, says study: 'Natural' environment aids well-being of rich and poor: Mortality rate rises for low earners in urban areas. The Guardian. 7 November 2008.

[xii] Mitchell, Richard. “Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities: an observational population study.” The Lancet. 8 November 2008.

[xiii] Ibid.