The release of “Health Impact Assessment of Shale Gas Extraction” is critical amidst the increasing attention drawn to extraction technologies, notably hydraulic fracturing in shale gas extraction. This surge in focus has rapidly reshaped rural communities, heightened public awareness, and prompted regulatory developments. However, the governmental public health system, initially excluded from discussions, remains the primary overseer of health responsibilities. As a result, the lack of early involvement has left public health without crucial insights into the environmental health impacts of these technologies, hampering its ability to effectively address concerns raised by federal and state regulators, as well as those expressed by communities and workers within the shale gas extraction industry.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine convened a workshop in 2012 to discuss the human health impact of shale gas extraction through the lens of a health impact assessment. Eminent scientists, physicians, public health experts, and representatives from government agencies at federal and state levels, from nongovernment organizations, from the business sector, and from interest groups representing the interests of the citizens met to exchange ideas and to inform on hydraulic fracturing as a means of extraction of natural gas. This report examines the state of the science regarding shale gas extraction, the direct and indirect environmental health impacts of shale gas extraction, and the use of health impact assessment as a tool that can help decision makers identify the public health consequences of shale gas extraction.
Contents
- Introduction
- Opening Session
- Geographic Footprint of Shale Gas Extraction
- Occupational Health and Community Impacts
- Air Quality
- Water Quality
- SUSTAINABLE Energy
- Research Opportunities: Research Community
- Research Opportunities: Federal Representatives
