Unconventional natural oil and gas extraction techniques, such as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” have brought oil and gas development activities closer to residential areas. The public health effects of this development are being studied by numerous researchers.

Jill Johnston, Ph.D., studies a specific activity related to oil and gas extraction called flaring, which is the intentional combustion of flammable gases during extraction. Flares can release toxins and contribute to noise and light pollution, but flaring’s impact on public health has not been widely studied until recently.

Johnston and her team found that predominantly Hispanic communities have a disproportionate exposure to gas flaring, and that pregnant Hispanic women exposed to a high number of nightly flares are more likely than non-Hispanic white women to have preterm births and shorter gestational periods.

Health hazards are also associated with other aspects of natural gas extraction. To communicate these public health concerns, Johnston’s team at the University of Southern California (USC) Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center and community partners of the Trade, Health, Environment Impact Study (T.H.E. Impact Project) recently created an infographic, The Impacts of Natural Gas on Public Health and the Environment. This infographic shares the realities front-line environmental justice communities experience when living near natural gas activities.

“We hope this infographic provides communities with access to key scientific information on the health impacts of natural gas in order to engage in improving environmental health in communities,” said Johnston, assistant professor of preventive medicine at USC.

The Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center: Committed to Community Engagement and Valuing Community Knowledge

As director of the Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center’s Community Engagement Core (CEC), Johnston collaborates with community partners to address the effects of the environment on human health. The CEC has developed a model to engage Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and African Americans living under economic hardship and experiencing health disparities from social and environmental justice issues. The CEC created outreach materials on topics such as near roadway pollution and toxic metals in baby teeth in response to the community’s expressed concerns and questions.

More than 10 CEC community partners helped develop the natural gas infographic. They include the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, which works within communities to develop and sustain participatory decision-making that empowers communities, and the East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice.

Many of the CEC’s resources, including the natural gas infographic, were created in conjunction with the Trade, Health, and Environment Impact Project (T.H.E. Impact Project), a community-academic partnership that combines science, community-based research, and input from affected residents to ensure their perspective is heard. T.H.E. Impact Project trains residents as part of Neighborhood Assessment Teams to gather data on air pollution and report these results to community leaders and elected officials. But T.H.E. Impact Project’s focus is much broader than natural gas development.

“T.H.E. Impact Project was born out of the combined efforts of public health advocates, community residents, and academic and legal partners working together to address the impacts of freight and goods movement on pollution-burdened communities,” said Taylor Thomas, co-Executive Director of East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. “T.H.E. Impact Project is part of The Moving Forward Network, which is a national network of residents and organizations fighting for clean freight at the federal level. T.H.E. Impact Project has been instrumental in getting clean air policies at our local ports.”

The Environmental Justice Dimensions of Gas Flaring

In studying the health effects of oil and gas development on communities, Johnston is also interested in examining the environmental justice aspects of such industrial activities. Two of her recent papers focus on the environmental justice dimensions of gas flaring.

In the paper Environmental Justice Dimensions of Oil and Gas Flaring in South Texas: Disproportionate Exposure among Hispanic Communities, Johnston’s team used satellite observations to identify nightly gas flare events in Texas’ Eagle Ford shale, one of the most productive regions in the U.S. They also used 2010 census data to characterize the demographics of areas near oil and gas extraction activity. Much of the region around the shale is home to families with low incomes, and about 40% of residents identify as Hispanic. The team found that the neighborhoods with a predominantly Hispanic population were exposed to more nightly flares than non-Hispanic white neighborhoods. Examining the data further, the team noticed the predominantly Hispanic communities’ increased exposure to flaring was not due to being closer to more oil wells; therefore, they concluded that the increased exposure to flaring is itself an environmental justice issue.

Johnston’s team also looked at the effects of flaring on birth outcomes in the Eagle Ford shale, as previous research had suggested exposure to oil and gas development can adversely affect birth outcomes. Using administrative birth records and satellite observations of flaring events, the team found that exposure to a high number of nightly flare events increased pregnant women’s chances of having a preterm birth and overall shorter gestational periods. The researchers also found that the relationship between flare events and adverse birth outcomes was true among Hispanic women, but not white women. In light of these findings, Johnston believes flaring may exacerbate existing environmental health disparities.

While Johnston’s papers are about flares in Texas, a better understanding of the health impacts and environmental justice aspects of oil and gas development is more widely applicable, as fracking and flaring have increased nationwide over the last few years.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of understanding the health effects and environmental justice dimensions of flaring,” said Johnston. “We hope to expand our research to look at communities in west Texas and North Dakota where flaring is rampant and assess impacts on maternal and infant health.”

As Johnston and other researchers learn more about the health effects of oil and gas development, communicating that information to the public will be essential. Therefore, Johnston and the CEC will continue developing tools such as the infographic and the Urban Oil and Gas Production in Los Angeles County story map. She hopes sharing scientific results with the public empowers communities to take action toward improving their environmental health.