Drilling Down Into Health Impacts: The Effects of Oil and Gas on California s Communities

Transcription

1 Drilling Down Into Health Impacts: The Effects of Oil and Gas on California s Communities

2 The Public Health and Climate Dimensions of Oil and Gas Development in California Seth B.C. Shonkoff, PhD, MPH PSE Healthy Energy, University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Sacramento Health Forum on Oil and Gas Development April 18, 2016

3 PSE Healthy Energy is an energy research and policy institute that brings scientific transparency to energy policy issues. We Generate Translate Disseminate Scientific resources and put them into the places where they are used to ensure responsible energy policy decisionmaking

4 Co-authors & Contributors Randy Maddalena 1 Thomas McKone 1,2 Preston Jordan 1 Matthew Heberger 3 Heather Cooley 3 Jake Hays 4 Whitney Sandelin 5 Robert Harrison 6 Zachary Wettstein 6 Adam Brandt 7 Jane C.S. Long 8 Jens Birkholzer 1 1 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2 University of California, Berkeley, 3 Pacific Institute, 4 PSE Healthy Energy, 5 University of the Pacific, 6 University of California, San Francisco, 7 Stanford University, 8 California Council on Science & Technology

5 Source Rock vs. Migrated Oil Development American Association of Petroleum Geologists (accessed 7/23/14)

6 (CCST 2015)

7 Public Health Risk Factors of Hydraulic Fracturing in California 1. Oil and gas development and elevated toxic air contaminant concentrations near human populations 2. Large numbers of chemicals and lack of information 3. Use of produced water for irrigation of crops without appropriate testing and treatment 4. Disposal of produced water with chemicals in percolation pits, especially near quality water aquifers 5. Shallow hydraulic fracturing near protected aquifers that are or could be used for human consumption 6. Disposal of produced water into aquifers that are or could be used for human consumption 7. High VOC and silica exposures in occupational settings

8 Public Health Risk Factors of Hydraulic Fracturing and Oil and Gas Development in CA 1. Oil and gas development and elevated toxic air contaminant concentrations near human populations 2. Large numbers of chemicals and lack of information 3. Use of produced water for irrigation of crops without appropriate testing and treatment 4. Disposal of produced water with chemicals in percolation pits, especially near quality water aquifers 5. Shallow hydraulic fracturing near protected aquifers that are or could be used for human consumption 6. Disposal of produced water into aquifers that are or could be used for human consumption 7. High VOC and silica exposures in occupational settings

9 Air Pollutant Emissions and Public Health

10 FracTracker (2013)

11 Summed facility-level toxic air contaminant (TAC) emissions in San Joaquin Valley

12 Geographic proximity partially drives ill Pad Close to Homes health risk Pad Site Drill Rig Homes The Mid-Atlantic Center for Childrens Health & the Environment Non-Cancer Health Hazards (Neurological and/or Respiratory Effects) Trimetheylbenzenes aliphatic hydrocarbons, xylenes McKenzie et al. (2012) Firestone, CO Cancer Hazards Benzene

13 Density of wells and hospitalizations Cardiology inpatient prevalence rates significantly positively associated with # of wells per zip code Neurology inpatient prevalence rates significantly positively associated with wells per km 2 Jemielita, et al Associations between well density and inpatient prevalence rates for dermatology, oncology, and urology

14 Risk of Birth Defects and Density of Gas Development Neural Tube Defects: Highest tertile of exposure OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.0, 3.9 Congenital Heart Disease: Highest Tertile of Exposure OR = 1.3 for the highest tertile (95% CI: 1.2, 1.5) McKenzie et al. (2014)

15 Increase Risk of Preterm Births Association between UNGD activity and preterm birth that increased across quartiles, with a fourth quartile odds ratio of 1.4 (95% conf. int.= 1.0, 1.9). Casey et al. (2015)

16 Image via Jonathan Alcorn

17 Population density within 2000 meters of currently active oil production wells

18 Proximity of human populations and sensitive human receptors to active oil wells in the South Coast Air Basin All Oil and Gas Production Wells

19 Research: Air Pollution and Human Health Recommendations Initiate studies in California to assess air pollutant exposures as a function of distance for all types of oil and gas development, not just stimulated wells Policy: Develop science-based surface setbacks to limit exposures. Require the application of air pollutant emission control technologies for all relevant oil and gas infrastructure Improve specificity of inventories to allow better understanding of oil and gas air pollutant emissions sources

20 Public Health Hazards of Unrestricted Well Stimulation Chemical Use Operators have few restrictions on the types of chemicals they use for hydraulic fracturing and acid treatments. In California, more than 300 chemicals have been reported by oil and gas operators on voluntary and mandatory bases. Even under SB 4 mandated disclosure, chemicals can be reported as trade secrets The large number of chemicals used and the limited information on many of them makes it difficult to judge the public health risks posed by releases of stimulation fluids

21 Information gaps inhibit our ability to evaluate health risks

22 Significant overlap in Chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing events and in nonhydraulic fracturing events

23 Summary of available Chemical data for Non- Hydraulic Fracturing Events Note: These data do NOT include chemicals from hydraulic fracturing or matrix acidizing events

24 Produced water used for food crop irrigation in the Cawelo and North Kern Water Districts Photo credit: Lauren Sommer/KQED

25 Risks of beneficial reuse of produced water The majority of well stimulation additives are unlikely to be removed using typical or common water treatment systems Oil-water separators Current monitoring requirements for beneficial reuse do not include analysis of important well stimulation chemicals Nothing to prevent additives from entering the food system or coming into contact with workers Recommendation: Produced water should not be used for irrigation or groundwater re-charge until or unless appropriate testing shows non-hazardous chemical concentrations, or required water treatment reduces concentrations to non-hazardous levels.

26

27 Additional Considerations More than 10 chemical additives are on the Proposition 65 List Multiple chemical additives are on the list of U.S. EPA National Primary Drinking Water Standard and Health Advisory chemicals More than 20 chemical additives are categorized as category 1 and 2 in the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for mammalian toxicity More than 100 chemical additives are categorized as category 1 and 2 in the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for ecotoxicity

28 Beneficial Reuse Recommendations All chemicals used in oil and gas development from all activities should be publicly disclosed in a manner analogous to Senate Bill 4 in California. Conduct an independent scientific study of the environmental public health dimensions of beneficial reuse of oil field produced water, especially for irrigation of food crops to inform state-level policies on this issue. Implement the recommendations from SB 4 CCST Independent Scientific Study with updated information on chemical additives. (We will not know what to monitor for and at what limit of detection until full disclosure of chemicals occurs). Follow procedural precedent for development of Title 22 rules regulations for sewage reuse

29 Location of percolation pits used for produced water disposal and the location of groundwater of varying quality Data from Central Valley Regional Water Quality Board

30 Disposal of Produced Water in Percolation Pits Produced water disposed in percolation pits likely contains hydraulic fracturing chemicals, associated breakdown products, and health-damaging naturally occurring constituents Unregulated percolation pits present an unjustified risk to water supply, wildlife, vegetation, and human health Recommendation: Ensure safe disposal of produced water in percolation pits with appropriate testing and treatment or phase out this practice

31 Thank you Questions? Seth B.C. Shonkoff, PhD, MPH

32 Thank you to our Co-Sponsors!