Proximity to Natural Gas Wells and Reported Health Status: Results of a Household Survey in Washington County, Pennsylvania

• DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1307732
• Publication Date: 2014-09-10T12:09:06Z
• Authors: Peter M. Rabinowitz; Ilya B. Slizovskiy; Vanessa Lamers; Sally J. Trufan; Theodore R. Holford; James D. Dziura; Peter N. Peduzzi; Michael J. Kane; John S. Reif; Theresa R. Weiss; Meredith H. Stowe
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Adolescent; Research; Health Status; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Environmental Exposure; Natural Gas; Pennsylvania; Health Surveys; Skin Diseases; 01 natural sciences; 3. Good health; Water Supply; 13. Climate action; Humans; Female; Oil and Gas Fields; Child; Groundwater; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Little is known about the environmental and public health impact of unconventional natural gas extraction activities, including hydraulic fracturing, that occur near residential areas.Our aim was to assess relationship between household proximity wells reported symptoms.We conducted a hypothesis-generating symptom survey 492 persons in 180 randomly selected households with ground-fed an area active drilling. Gas well for each compared prevalence frequency dermal, respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological symptoms.The number symptoms per person higher among residents living < 1 km (mean ± SD, 3.27 3.72) > 2 from nearest 1.60 2.14; p = 0.0002). In model adjusted age, sex, education, smoking, awareness risk, work type, animals house, skin conditions were more common (odds ratio 4.1; 95% CI: 1.4, 12.3; 0.01). Upper respiratory also frequently (39%) 1-2 or (31 18%, respectively) (p 0.004). No equivalent correlation found other groups neurological, gastrointestinal conditions.Although these results should be viewed as hypothesis generating, population studied limited water supply, may associated dermal activities. Further study associations, role specific air exposures, warranted.