Health Risks in Texas from Oil and Gas Industry Air Pollution

Figure 1 Cancer Risk from Oil and Gas Toxic Air Pollution in Texas Counties Summary: Air pollution from the oil and gas industry harms the health of people throughout

Texas, increasing the cancer OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS risk for millions of people and Amarillo

forming ozone smog that causes NEW MEXICO asthma attacks and other health Lubbock Denton problems across the state. Last Dallas Fort Worth year, the US Environmental Tyler LOUISIANA

Protection Agency (EPA) put El Paso Midland Odessa important standards in place to TEXAS reduce air pollution from over Austin seven thousand newer oil and gas sites across Texas, but the Houston San Antonio Trump Administration recently suspended these commonsense MEXICO measures, further endangering GULF OF Laredo MEXICO the health of children and adults in Texas.

Lower Higher Cancer Risk ■■■■■■ Cancer Risk Exceeds EPA’s he oil and gas industry dumps Level of Concern millions of tons of air pollutants into our nation’s air each year. natural gas industry air pollution. As concern in 82 Texas counties (see This mix of pollutants includes the industry grows, these problems will map above). Tmethane, a very potent climate pollutant, get worse without standards to limit and enormous amounts of toxic air pol- pollution from these sites. With the industry spread around the lutants and pollutants that cause ozone state, many Texans are directly affected smog pollution. These toxic pollutants, According to EPA’s data for 2011, over by these toxic gases: such as benzene, cause cancer and other 8,500 tons of hazardous toxic air pollu- diseases, while ozone smog can cause tion—benzene, formaldehyde, and acet- • 2.3 million Texans live within a half- a variety of health problems, such as aldehyde and other compounds —were mile of active oil and gas operations. asthma attacks and worsened bronchitis emitted by the Texas oil and gas industry. Toxic air pollution emissions can di- and emphysema. Rapid expansion of the industry in the rectly affect the health of individuals Permian basin, the Eagle Ford shale, and living adjacent to sources. With over a third of the nation’s oil and many other areas of the state since 2011 gas wells, compressor stations, and gas means that this pollution has probably processing facilities spread throughout increased. Exposure to these toxic gases the state, Texans bear a huge portion spewed by the oil and gas industry raises of the health risks caused by oil and the cancer risk above EPA’s level of — Health Risks in Texas from Oil and Gas Industry Air Pollution • Page 2 —

• Children are especially vulnerable to Figure 2 air pollution exposure and over 900 Texas Asthma Attacks in Kids Attributed to Oil and Gas Air Pollution schools in Texas are located within a half-mile of oil and gas operations.

Texans are also exposed to harmful Amarillo OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS ozone smog from oil and gas pollution:

NEW MEXICO • Texas children will suffer nearly Lubbock Denton 145,000 asthma attacks per year

due to ozone from this industry Dallas Fort Worth Tyler LOUISIANA (see map at right). • Adults are also harmed by ozone El Paso Midland Odessa TEXAS smog from this industry: Texans suffer over 280,000 person-days of Austin Houston restricted activity linked to breathing asthma attacks San Antonio higher levels of pollution from this per county industry. per year • The kids harmed by this pollution ■ < 250 MEXICO live across the state. For example, oil ■ 250–750 GULF OF and gas pollution causes over 45,000 MEXICO ■ 750–5,000 Laredo asthma attacks per year in the Dallas/ Fort Worth Metroplex, almost 22,000 ■ > 5,000 attacks in the Houston area, over 15,000 attacks in Greater San Antonio, and almost 4,800 attacks in the Mid- ful pollution from these sites. EPA’s Unfortunately, the Trump Administra- land-Odessa area. People are harmed standards from last year were a key step tion is working to suspend key aspects by ozone from this industry in every in limiting this pollution from new wells of those rules for years. You can help: county in the state. and other oil and gas sites, requiring contact EPA or your local paper to let common-sense measures like regularly them know that EPA should protect The bottom line: air pollution from the inspecting oil and gas sites for harmful local communities, and should not oil and gas industry affects young and leaks of methane and other air pollutants. suspend these rules. old and those living near and far from They would have reduced pollution from industry activities. Texans need strong over seven thousand industry sites spread standards to prevent unnecessary harm- across 184 Texas counties.

author © June 2017, Clean Air Task Force David McCabe and This report is available online at www.catf.us John Graham, CATF http://tinyurl.com/HealthEffectsTX Analysis Lesley Fleischman, CATF