Clark, C.J., Johnson, N.P., Soriano, Jr, M., et al. (2022). Shale gas development exposure in Pennsylvania and risk of childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

The authors of this study examined whether there was a correlation between exposure to SGD and cases of cancer, specifically ALL in Pennsylvania.

• Children living in proximity to SGD had up to 2-3 times the odds of developing ALL.

• There was an increased odds ratio for those upgradient of a shale gas well which suggests that water is a potential exposure pathway for substances leading to the development of ALL.

• Children had the greatest increased odds of developing ALL in proximity to SGD if exposed during the perinatal window (three months before conception up to birth).

​

Jost, E., Dingley, B., Jost, C., et al. (2021). Associations Between the Density of Oil and Gas Infrastructure and the Incidence, Stage and Outcomes of Solid Tumours: A Population-Based Geographic Analysis.

The authors studied populations in Alberta, Canada, to see if there was a correlation between development of solid tumors and living in proximity to oil and gas development. They found:

• A positive correlation between density of oil and gas development and solid tumor diagnoses.

• A positive correlation of specific tumor types associated with higher oil and gas density measured as > 30 total facilities/100 km2 (approximately 38.6 square miles). This includes breast, prostate, lung, colorectal, melanoma, renal, head and neck, gastric, and hepatobiliary malignancies.

​

Xu, Y., Sajja, M., Kumar, A. (2019). Impact of the Hydraulic Fracturing on Indoor Radon Concentrations in Ohio: A Multilevel Modeling Approach.

The authors analyzed radon data from 2007 to 2014 in Ohio to determine if there was an association between distance to SGD wells and household radon levels. They found:

• A strong correlation between indoor radon concentrations and SGD in Ohio.

• Data suggests that household radon levels increase as the distance to shale gas sites decreases.

​

McKenzie, L. M., Blair, B., Hughes, J., et al. (2018). Ambient Nonmethane Hydrocarbon Levels Along Colorado’s Northern Front Range: Acute and Chronic Health Risks.

The authors measured air emissions at various distances from SGD facilities in Colorado to calculate lifetime risk of cancer. They found:

• Residents within 500 feet of SGD facilities had a lifetime cancer risk of 8.3 per 10,000 people, which exceeds the EPA’s upper limit of risk (1 per 10,000 people).

• They attributed this risk to the levels of benzene.

​

McKenzie, L. M., Allshouse, W. B., Byers, T. E., et al. (2017). Childhood hematologic cancer and residential proximity to oil and gas development.

The authors compared incidence of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in young people (5-24 years) to all other childhood cancers in Colorado in relation to exposure to shale gas wells. They found:

• ALL cases were 4.3 times as likely to be found in young people with the highest level of exposure to shale gas wells when compared to young people with diagnosis of other types of cancer.

• ALL incidence decreased as exposure decreased.

 

Elliott, E. G., Trinh, P., Ma, X., et al. (2017). Unconventional oil and gas development and risk of childhood leukemia: Assessing the evidence.

The authors set out to determine what was known about the carcinogenicity of chemical compounds emitted into the air or present in the waste stream. They checked 1,177 water pollutants and 143 air pollutants potentially emitted by SGD with the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s carcinogen monographs. They found:

• Over 80% of pollutants had not yet been assessed for carcinogenicity.

• 49 water and 20 air pollutants (55 unique compounds) were identified as known, probable, or possible carcinogens.

• 20 compounds had evidence of leukemia/lymphoma risk.

​

Finkel, M. (2016). Shale gas development and cancer incidence in southwest Pennsylvania.

The author investigated whether SGD was correlated with increased cancer incidence in southwest Pennsylvania. The author found:

• The observed number of urinary bladder cases was higher than expected in both sexes in counties with shale gas activity.

• In counties with the fewest number of producing wells, the increase in urinary bladder cases was essentially nonexistent.

• Thyroid cancer increased substantially among both sexes over time in all counties regardless of the number of wells drilled.