Public Health Impacts Of Oil And Gas Drilling

The debate over the public health impacts of oil and gas drilling is incredibly polarized.  There’s widespread fear – fear of water contamination, of air and noise pollution.  When a drilling rig literally goes up in your backyard, its a matter of huge concern, as we reported recently in southeastern Wyoming. The problem is, there’s very little science out there backing claims of health impacts, or refuting claims of health impacts.  The drilling boom has happened so quickly that public health departments, as well as regulators and inspectors, have not had enough time to know where the problems are, and what to do about them.