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• A new study in the journal Science Advances estimates that air pollution from oil and gas activities leads to 91,000 deaths and over 10,000 preterm births each year in the United States.
• The same study attributes an estimated 216,000 annual cases of childhood asthma and over 1,600 lifetime cancers to these pollutants.
• The states with the highest health burden from oil and gas pollution are California, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, with racial minorities disproportionately exposed to the harmful air.
• The authors note that the study’s findings, based on 2017 data, are likely an underestimate given the subsequent increases in oil and gas production and consumption.
• The findings come as the current administration moves to roll back regulations on the industry, while environmental groups are filing lawsuits to stop these actions.
• The study is unique because it analyzes the health impacts across the entire lifecycle of the industry, from extraction to refining to fuel use.