A new report by US researchers reports serious health effects on people
of color caused by oil and gas installations located near residential areas,
linking pollutant emissions to high levels of cancer and asthma, especially in
African-American neighborhoods.
A report released this week says that people living in such areas are heavily
affected by pollution from nearby industrial sites. As a result of these
emissions, residents have serious health problems. More than a million African
Americans in the US are estimated to live within half a mile of natural gas
facilities, and many communities face increased risk of emissions-related
cancer and asthma. The oil and gas industry releases nine million tons of
methane and other pollutants into the atmosphere every year. Methane
contributes to climate change at a rate that is eighty-seven times faster than
carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Across
the country, there are existing or under development oil and gas facilities in
ninety-one counties, more than 6.7 million African Americans, or 14% of the
nation’s population, live in these areas. Louisiana and Texas have the largest
African American populations living in areas at increased risk of asthma and
cancer from pollutants, with about nine hundred thousand people living near oil
and gas facilities. However, the report notes that communities in several other
states are also at risk, as pollutants can travel many kilometers, creating
dangerous smog.