News
ENLARGE
Public health professionals in Colorado and around the country have legitimate concerns about possible exposures and related health effects associated with natural gas development and production. As yet, public health professionals have not had the opportunity to perform the research needed to determine the extent to which these hazards impact the health of those living very close to natural gas wells.
Researchers — including myself and Lisa McKenzie, PhD, MPH; Lee S. Newman, MD, MA; and John Adgate, PhD, MSPH, at the Colorado School of Public Health — have fulfilled their contract with Garfield County and submitted designs for five studies to evaluate the effects of natural gas development on human health.
These study designs address information gaps identified in the Battlement Mesa Health Impact Assessment, address the requests of the Battlement Concerned Citizens petition to the Garfield Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), and meet the scope of work agreed upon with the county commissioners.
The first design is for air, water and soil monitoring throughout the well development and gas production processes. This monitoring will provide information to Garfield County health officials, natural gas operators, researchers and the general public about the ongoing impacts of natural gas development, the effectiveness of pollution control technology and whether natural gas activities have or have not contaminated the environment in which we live.
The second and third designs will systematically identify and measure the chemicals (some of which have not yet been measured) emitted into the air during all phases of natural gas development. These designs also will measure hazardous chemicals at Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission setback distances and at distances proposed by Antero and the Battlement Mesa citizens. This information can be used to develop emission factors and models of dispersion to develop natural gas permitting and policy making that protects the public's health.
The fourth and fifth designs are for monitoring the health and well being of citizens and communities in Battlement Mesa and other parts of Garfield County where natural gas is being developed. These designs include annual analysis of existing health and community information, as well as a survey of residents in these areas which can identify health effects not covered by existing data bases.
The designs for monitoring air, water, and soil, as well as the health and well-being of citizens and communities were purposefully developed to address the estimated 30-year lifetime of a well.
The impacts of some exposures are understood. Emissions from natural gas development operations include ozone precursors, and producing regions are at risk for ground level ozone formation. Ozone can impact the health of all people, and especially some of our most vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions such as asthma.
As part of the agreement between the Colorado School of Public Health and Garfield County, these study designs were submitted to the BOCC. It is now up to the BOCC to determine what, if anything, will be done with these designs in the future.
The Battlement Mesa HIA outlined the possible ways health could be impacted and suggested recommendations to avoid impacts. The EHMS designs, if conducted, will study how the industry does (or does not) impact the environment and public health.
We hope that the BOCC decides to utilize the study designs that the public has paid for. These designs are scientifically sound. The studies should be conducted.
If and when these studies (or studies based on our designs) are conducted, we hope that the methods and data are made publicly available, so that public health experts are able to help interpret and communicate the results, with the goal of then taking next steps to protect the health and welfare of the community.
The BOCC is to be commended for its interest in protecting public health. The Battlement Mesa HIA recommendations and these five study designs provide the BOCC with a road map for doing so. Now we encourage the BOCC to take the next steps and take actions that ensure the natural gas industry operations are not harmful to public health.
Dr. Roxana Witter is a faculty member of the Colorado School of Public Health and the lead author of the Battlement Mesa Health Impact Assessment and the Environmental and Health Monitoring Study Designs submitted to Garfield County in 2011.
Researchers — including myself and Lisa McKenzie, PhD, MPH; Lee S. Newman, MD, MA; and John Adgate, PhD, MSPH, at the Colorado School of Public Health — have fulfilled their contract with Garfield County and submitted designs for five studies to evaluate the effects of natural gas development on human health.
These study designs address information gaps identified in the Battlement Mesa Health Impact Assessment, address the requests of the Battlement Concerned Citizens petition to the Garfield Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), and meet the scope of work agreed upon with the county commissioners.
The first design is for air, water and soil monitoring throughout the well development and gas production processes. This monitoring will provide information to Garfield County health officials, natural gas operators, researchers and the general public about the ongoing impacts of natural gas development, the effectiveness of pollution control technology and whether natural gas activities have or have not contaminated the environment in which we live.
The second and third designs will systematically identify and measure the chemicals (some of which have not yet been measured) emitted into the air during all phases of natural gas development. These designs also will measure hazardous chemicals at Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission setback distances and at distances proposed by Antero and the Battlement Mesa citizens. This information can be used to develop emission factors and models of dispersion to develop natural gas permitting and policy making that protects the public's health.
The fourth and fifth designs are for monitoring the health and well being of citizens and communities in Battlement Mesa and other parts of Garfield County where natural gas is being developed. These designs include annual analysis of existing health and community information, as well as a survey of residents in these areas which can identify health effects not covered by existing data bases.
The designs for monitoring air, water, and soil, as well as the health and well-being of citizens and communities were purposefully developed to address the estimated 30-year lifetime of a well.
The impacts of some exposures are understood. Emissions from natural gas development operations include ozone precursors, and producing regions are at risk for ground level ozone formation. Ozone can impact the health of all people, and especially some of our most vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions such as asthma.
As part of the agreement between the Colorado School of Public Health and Garfield County, these study designs were submitted to the BOCC. It is now up to the BOCC to determine what, if anything, will be done with these designs in the future.
The Battlement Mesa HIA outlined the possible ways health could be impacted and suggested recommendations to avoid impacts. The EHMS designs, if conducted, will study how the industry does (or does not) impact the environment and public health.
We hope that the BOCC decides to utilize the study designs that the public has paid for. These designs are scientifically sound. The studies should be conducted.
If and when these studies (or studies based on our designs) are conducted, we hope that the methods and data are made publicly available, so that public health experts are able to help interpret and communicate the results, with the goal of then taking next steps to protect the health and welfare of the community.
The BOCC is to be commended for its interest in protecting public health. The Battlement Mesa HIA recommendations and these five study designs provide the BOCC with a road map for doing so. Now we encourage the BOCC to take the next steps and take actions that ensure the natural gas industry operations are not harmful to public health.
Dr. Roxana Witter is a faculty member of the Colorado School of Public Health and the lead author of the Battlement Mesa Health Impact Assessment and the Environmental and Health Monitoring Study Designs submitted to Garfield County in 2011.
