Siegel Kyle R, Bérubé Roxanne, Day Matthew, Heldman Samantha, Daley Coreen, Murray Brooklynn R, Hecht Rachelle, Caron-Beaudoin Élyse, Kassotis Christopher D
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, Michigan.
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Reproduction. 2024 Sep 5;168(4). doi: 10.1530/REP-24-0134. Print 2024 Oct 1.
Unconventional oil and natural gas (UOG) operations, particularly hydraulic fracturing, have revolutionized oil and gas production, using and containing complex mixtures of chemicals that may impact reproductive health. While there is growing evidence for effects on births in hydraulic fracturing/UOG regions and good mechanistic evidence for potential reproductive toxicity, there is much research still needed to make firm conclusions about these practices and reproductive health.
Unconventional oil and natural gas (UOG) operations have emerged over the last four decades to transform oil and gas production in the United States and globally by unlocking previously inaccessible hydrocarbon deposits. UOG development utilizes many compounds associated with conventional oil and gas, as well as some specific to UOG extraction, particularly during hydraulic fracturing (HF). While research is increasing on UOG chemicals and their mixtures, this review discusses the current evidence for reproductive toxicity following exposures to UOG/HF mixtures. These complex chemical mixtures have been demonstrated to interact with numerous mechanisms known to influence reproductive health. A growing number of environmental and controlled laboratory testing studies have reported adverse reproductive health effects in animals exposed to various UOG chemical mixtures. An expanding body of epidemiological literature has assessed adverse birth outcomes, although none has directly examined reproductive measures such as time to pregnancy, semen quality, and other direct measures of fertility. The existing literature provides moderate evidence for decreased birth weights, increased risk of small for gestational age and/or preterm birth, increased congenital abnormalities, and increased infant mortality, though importantly, studies are widely variable in methods used. Most studies utilized distance from UOG operations as an exposure proxy and did not measure actual chemical exposures experienced by those living near these operations. As such, while there is growing evidence for effects on births in these regions and good mechanistic evidence for potential reproductive toxicity, there is much research still needed to make firm conclusions about UOG development and reproductive health.
非常规石油和天然气（UOG）作业，尤其是水力压裂，彻底改变了石油和天然气生产，使用并包含可能影响生殖健康的复杂化学混合物。虽然越来越多的证据表明水力压裂/UOG地区的出生情况受到影响，且有充分的机制证据表明存在潜在的生殖毒性，但仍需要进行大量研究才能就这些作业与生殖健康得出确凿结论。
在过去四十年中，非常规石油和天然气（UOG）作业应运而生，通过开发此前难以获取的碳氢化合物矿床，改变了美国乃至全球的石油和天然气生产。UOG开发使用了许多与常规石油和天然气相关的化合物，以及一些UOG开采特有的化合物，尤其是在水力压裂（HF）过程中。虽然关于UOG化学品及其混合物的研究不断增加，但本综述讨论了接触UOG/HF混合物后生殖毒性的现有证据。这些复杂的化学混合物已被证明会与众多已知影响生殖健康的机制相互作用。越来越多的环境和对照实验室测试研究报告称，接触各种UOG化学混合物的动物出现了不良生殖健康影响。越来越多的流行病学文献评估了不良出生结局，尽管没有一项直接研究诸如怀孕时间、精液质量和其他直接生育指标等生殖指标。现有文献为出生体重降低、小于胎龄和/或早产风险增加、先天性异常增加以及婴儿死亡率增加提供了适度证据，不过重要的是，各研究使用的方法差异很大。大多数研究将与UOG作业的距离作为暴露指标，并未测量居住在这些作业附近的人实际接触的化学物质。因此，虽然越来越多的证据表明这些地区的出生情况受到影响，且有充分的机制证据表明存在潜在的生殖毒性，但仍需要进行大量研究才能就UOG开发与生殖健康得出确凿结论。
