Historically Redline Communities Overwhelmed by Too Many Oil and Gas Wells
Photo: iStock/Gary Kavanagh
Across the U.S., historically redline neighborhoods scored the lowest on racial discrimination maps drawn by government-sponsored homeowner loan companies in the 1930s, and had twice the density of oil and gas wells as the highest-scoring comparable neighborhoods, according to a new study. These Wells can cause disproportionate pollution and associated health problems in redline communities.
The study, authored by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco, was published in Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.
Oil and gas wells expose residents to air and water pollute, noise, and other sources of stress that may increase the risk of many diseases: cardiovascular disease, impaired lung function, anxiety, depression, preterm birth, and impaired fetal growth. An estimated 17 million Americans live within a mile of at least one active oil or gas well.
“Our study adds to the evidence that structural racism in federal policy is associated with disproportionate well siting in marginalized communities,” said the senior author. Joan Casey, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Mailman College, Columbia. “These exposure differences have implications for community environmental health, as the presence of active and inactive wells contributes to persistent air pollution.”
Read the rest of the story on the Mailman website.
