|
CARB will be holding a
research seminar focused on the potential health impacts of oil and gas
development. The seminar will also include a health and equity look at high
methane emitting sources. This seminar will cover the following study
topics (see links to the published papers below):
The result from these
analyses indicates the importance of characterizing the potential human
health and equity implications of oil and gas development. This study
provides information to regulatory decision-makers on the public and
environmental health and environmental justice impacts and provides
recommendations and additional research opportunities.
Date:
May 24, 2022
Time:
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location:
Webinar
Esta presentación pública de investigación académica va a
tener interpretación al español a través de zoom..
Background/Summary
There
are limited health studies in California on the impacts of exposure to oil
and gas development (OGD). It is important to understand the health and
climate change impacts of oil and gas development as well as other major
sources of greenhouse gas emissions, including high methane emitting
facilities such as landfills, dairies, refineries in California. This
project conducted integrated analyses to characterize the health and
environmental equity impacts among vulnerable populations for oil and gas
development and activities and high methane emitting facilities in
California. Results from the epidemiological studies on the effects of
proximity to oil and gas development (OGD) and hydraulic fracturing (HF) in
pregnant women showed positive associations between these exposures and
adverse birth outcomes. Analyses of high methane emitting facilities
(including landfills, dairies, refineries, and other sites) showed
increased odds of migraine cases with increasing NO2 levels and with methane
emissions (methane acts as a surrogate for other co-pollutants that are
harmful to health). PM2.5 and NO2 were positively associated with migraine
exacerbation outcomes. For the equity assessment of large methane emitters
in California, the investigators observed large methane emitter locations
and emissions concentrations in areas (block groups) with a higher
proportion of residents of color and lower voter turnout. These results
provide important information to CARB to characterize some of the human health
and equity implications of oil and gas development as well as high methane
emitting facilities.
Biography
Rachel Morello-Frosch is
Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management
and the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. As an environmental health
scientist and epidemiologist, her research examines social determinants of
environmental health among diverse communities with a focus on inequality,
psychosocial stress and how these factors interact with environmental
chemical exposures to produce health inequalities. Morello-Frosch has also
collaborated with communities and scientists to develop science-policy
tools to assess cumulative impacts of chemical and non-chemical stressors
to improve regulatory decision-making and advance environmental justice.
|
