In Ohio, the report says the result is almost 30,000 summertime childhood asthma attacks.
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The latest “report” from established anti-oil and natural gas groups used misinformed ozone projections and openly ignored advances in technology that are improving air quality.
The “Gasping for Breath” study from the Clean Air Task Force analyzed Environmental Protection Agency projections and estimated that by the year 2025, children in Albuquerque will suffer more than 5,300 asthma attacks during the summer as a result of air pollution from oil and gas plants.
Those environmental groups stand by their findings which they say point to the need for strict enforcement of pollution regulations on the oil & gas industry.
Gas and oil production such as that which occurs at refineries around Philly create the ground-level ozone that is the main constituent of smog, according to CATF.
“You’ve got pipelines and engines and equipment that have historically just sort of leaked some of these volatile organic compounds and methane, and have not been recognized as being the contributor that they are”, she explains. “This potent air pollutant is responsible for increased asthma hospitalizations, increased school absences of students and teachers and lost production for workers”.
“In addition to data on asthma attacks and other health impacts associated with ozone pollution caused by oil and gas, the threat map displays data about the populations living within a half-mile “threat zone” radius from oil and gas development, where residents have a cause for concern about potential health impacts, and the counties with cancer and respiratory health risk above EPA’s level of concern”. Along with the report, they compiled a national “oil and gas threat map”.
Theresa Hill, an activist with Action United, previously spoke out about how the air quality in the neighborhood affected the health of her and her grandchildren. “We couldn’t breathe”, Hill said of moving into the vicinity of the refinery.
“Groups funded to oppose fracking are threatening our health, not protecting it”.
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“Oil and gas has not been subject to air pollution standards in the way that other major polluters have, and there are feasible and cost effective ways to regulate it”, said Lesley Fleischman, the study’s lead author.
