FACT BRIEF

Is there evidence that fracking causes significant air pollution?

Thursday, January 28, 2021

By Mia Dillon

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YES

There is some evidence that fracking, the oil- and gas-production method that has made new supplies accessible, can degrade air quality, releasing methane, carcinogens and other particulate matter, and increasing ground-level ozone.

A May 2020 literature review in Archives of Toxicology found that “143 air contaminants may be released” by the process. Of 685 fracking studies published between 2009 and 2015, 87% of those that examined air quality found increased pollutant emissions near drilling sites.

A May 2020 study still awaiting peer-review used satellite and data to assess particulate pollution from fracked gas wells in Pennsylvania. The authors concluded that “fracking-related air pollution” led to at least 20 additional deaths in the state from 2010 to 2017.

More research is needed to compare fracking’s impact on air quality and human health compared to other production methods.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Villanova: Fracking, the environment and health

National Library of Medicine: Archives of Toxicology—Critical evaluation of human health risks due to hydraulic fracturing in natural gas and petroleum production

Binghamton University: Air pollution from fracking linked to deaths in Pennsylvania

ResearchGate: Satellite detection of air pollution—Air quality impacts of shale gas development in Pennsylvania

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