Shonkoff Seth B C, Hays Jake, Finkel Madelon L
Physicians Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy, Oakland, California, USA.
Environ Health Perspect. 2014 Aug;122(8):787-95. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1307866. Epub 2014 Apr 16.
The United States has experienced a boom in natural gas production due to recent technological innovations that have enabled this resource to be produced from shale formations.
We reviewed the body of evidence related to exposure pathways in order to evaluate the potential environmental public health impacts of shale gas development. We highlight what is currently known and identify data gaps and research limitations by addressing matters of toxicity, exposure pathways, air quality, and water quality.
There is evidence of potential environmental public health risks associated with shale gas development. Several studies suggest that shale gas development contributes to ambient air concentrations of pollutants known to be associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Similarly, an increasing body of studies suggest that water contamination risks exist through a variety of environmental pathways, most notably during wastewater transport and disposal, and via poor zonal isolation of gases and fluids due to structural integrity impairment of cement in gas wells.
Despite a growing body of evidence, data gaps persist. Most important, there is a need for more epidemiological studies to assess associations between risk factors, such as air and water pollution, and health outcomes among populations living in close proximity to shale gas operations.
由于近期的技术创新使页岩层能够开采出天然气，美国的天然气产量出现了激增。
我们回顾了与接触途径相关的证据，以评估页岩气开发对环境公共健康的潜在影响。我们通过探讨毒性、接触途径、空气质量和水质等问题，突出了目前已知的情况，并确定了数据缺口和研究局限性。
有证据表明页岩气开发存在潜在的环境公共健康风险。多项研究表明，页岩气开发导致环境空气中已知与发病率和死亡率上升风险相关的污染物浓度增加。同样，越来越多的研究表明，存在通过多种环境途径造成水污染的风险，最显著的是在废水运输和处理过程中，以及由于气井水泥结构完整性受损导致气体和液体的区域隔离不佳。
尽管证据越来越多，但数据缺口仍然存在。最重要的是，需要进行更多的流行病学研究，以评估风险因素（如空气和水污染）与居住在页岩气作业附近人群的健康结果之间的关联。
