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HEI Energy Hosts Dec. 18 Webinar On New Research On Community Exposures To Oil & Gas Development & Groundwater Contamination In Beaver, Greene & Washington Counties

On December 18, HEI Energy will host a webinar on new research on Community Exposures To Oil and Gas Development and Groundwater Contamination from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Dr. Jennifer Baka, Penn State, and Dr. Susan Brantley, Penn State will present their research on potential groundwater contamination related to unconventional oil and gas development in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The research team will highlight their interdisciplinary research approach involving geoscientific analyses and community engagement.

The overall goal of this study is to evaluate potential linkages between unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD) and groundwater contamination in Beaver, Greene and Washington counties which has many overlapping potential sources of contamination.

The study was informed by focus groups in the region to help identify areas of community concern between July 31 and August 1 to discuss preliminary study results with community members.

The investigators--

-- Combined an existing data set of chemical measurements in groundwater with machine learning to isolate the influences of natural and anthropogenic processes on groundwater chemistry and to identify chemical signatures of UOGD [shale gas development].

-- Evaluated linkages between shale gas and potential water contamination.

-- Developed an approach to map locations of potential contamination from shale gas activities for application to future investigations of potential human exposures and health effects associated with shale gas.

In addition to the presenters, the study also involved Donna Vorhees and Ayusha Ariana, both from HEI Energy.

Click Here for more background on the new study.

Click Here to register for the webinar.

2022 Hotspot Research

This new study analyzed the location of the "hotspots" of contamination from oil and gas operations identified in a 2022 study by Dr. Shaheen and others in terms of population, geology, industrial activities and groundwater chemistry and looked at a continuing exposure analysis.

The 2022 study results "point toward potential human exposure risk via water supplies contaminated by UOGD in limited areas. Our methods, which highlight localities in which water supplies may be impacted, are not a “gold standard” for exposure and must be followed by case studies.

"Nonetheless, our methods are important because the low frequency of UOGD contamination and complexity of hydrogeologic transport of contaminants into water supplies means that randomly collected water samples are unlikely to document exposure via drinking water. Methods such as ours should thus guide exposure studies."

"We also identify infrequent CH4 [methane] contamination in SWPA and emphasize that UOGD near coal mining necessitates enhanced attention to prevent gas migration from coal seams.

"At the same time, the frequency of gas migration from UOG [unconventional] wells appears lower than the frequency associated with COG [conventional] wells, as we identified a significant correlation across SWPA between [CH4] and proximity to COG wells but no such correlation for UOG wells.

"Perhaps, the prior OGD in SWPA that removed gas explains today’s lessened gas leakage during UOGD.

"We nonetheless emphasize that contamination from UOGD can translate into small regional impacts on groundwater chemistry that could expose human populations to low-level concentrations of harmful contaminants in highly localized areas."

Click Here for more on the 2002 study.

HEI Energy is a nonprofit affiliate of the Health Effects Institute (HEI), chartered as an independent research organization to provide high-quality and impartial science about potential human exposure and health effects associated with onshore development of oil and natural gas from shale and other unconventional resources (UOGD) in the United States.

(Hotspot Maps 2022 Study: Methane, Brine (Barium, Strontium), Thallium. Red is bad.)

NewsClip:

-- Public Herald: I Turned Blue - Workers Share Horrifying Experiences Treating Oil & Gas Wastewater

Related Articles - Oil & Gas Health Impacts:

-- New Penn State Study Finds Runoff From Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Dumped On Unpaved Roads Contains Pollutants That Exceed Human-Health, Environmental Standards [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project - Part 1: Personal Narrative Of Environmental, Health Impacts From Oil & Gas Drilling On Siri Lawson, Warren County [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project - Part II: Personal Narrative Of Environmental, Health Impacts From Oil & Gas Drilling On Siri Lawson, Warren County [PaEN]

-- DEP Reports Shale Gas Operations Sent Over 138,000 Cubic Feet Of Radioactive TENORM Waste To Low-Level Radioactive Waste Facilities For Disposal In 2022 - Over 911,000 Cubic Feet Since 2017 [PaEN]

-- House Committee Hearing On Increasing Safety Setbacks Zones Around Natural Gas Facilities Heard About First-Hand Citizen Experiences On Health Impacts, From Physicians On Health Studies And The Gas Industry On Job Impacts [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw, Republican Chair Of Senate Environmental Committee, Calls Bill To Reduce Shale Gas Industry Impacts On Health, Environment ‘Stupid’ [PaEN]

-- State Dept. Of Health Pushing For Changes To Reduce Adverse Health Impacts From Natural Gas Development [PaEN]

-- University Of Pittsburgh School Of Public Health Studies Find Shale Gas Wells Can Make Asthma Worse; Children Have An Increased Chance Of Developing Lymphoma Cancer; Slightly Lower Birth Weights [PaEN]