CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 243Oil, Gas, and Environmental IssuesAir Quality and Health ImpactsEnvironmental Justice and Health Disparities

Impact of upstream oil extraction and environmental public health: A review of the evidence

Open access
Johnston, Jill E., Lim, Esther, Roh, Hannah·2019·Science of The Total Environment
DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.483PMC PMC6344296
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Upstream oil extraction, which includes exploration and operation to bring crude oil to the surface, frequently occurs near human populations. There are approximately 40,000 oil fields globally and 6 million people that live or work nearby. Oil extraction can impact local soil, water, and air, which in turn can influence community health. As oil resources are increasingly being extracted near human populations, we highlight the current scope of scientific knowledge regarding potential community health impacts with the aim to help identify scientific gaps and inform policy discussions surrounding oil drilling operations. In this review, we assess the wide range of both direct and indirect impacts that oil drilling operations can have on human health, with specific emphasis on understanding the body of scientific literature to assess potential environmental and health risks to residents living near active onshore oil extraction sites. From an initial literature search capturing 2236 studies, we identified 22 human studies, including 5 occupational studies, 5 animal studies, 6 experimental studies and 31 oil drilling-related exposure studies relevant to the scope of this review. The current evidence suggests potential health impacts due to exposure to upstream oil extraction, such as cancer, liver damage, immunodeficiency, and neurological symptoms. Adverse impacts to soil, air, and water quality in oil drilling regions were also identified. Improved characterization of exposures by community health studies and further study of the chemical mixtures associated with oil extraction will be critical to determining the full range of health risks to communities living near oil extraction.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.483

Cites

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Health risks are generally greater for employees in the fossil fuel sector than for those in the renewable energy sector.

    “Health risks are generally greater for employees in the fossil fuel sector than for those in the renewable energy sector (panel 6).308,309”

    From The 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: facing record-breaking threats from delayed action (2024) · cites this paper as [309]

    The Results section, under “Population health and oil extraction” (page unavailable), describes occupational hazards for some oil-field workers, including respirable silica exposure. It does not compare fossil-fuel employees with renewable-energy employees or establish that health risks are generally greater in the fossil-fuel sector. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet

References 93 · Cited by 243

Research works printed but not linked: 68

  1. Abdul-Wahab S, Ali S, Sardar S, Irfan N. 2012 Impacts on ambient air quality due to flaring activities in one of Oman's oilfields. Arch Environ Occup Health 67: 3– 14. 22315930
  2. Adgate JL, Goldstein BD, McKenzie LM. 2014 Potential public health hazards, exposures and health effects from unconventional natural gas development. Environmental Science & Technology 48: 8307– 8320. 24564405
  3. Agbalagba EO, Avwiri GO, Chad-Umoreh YE. 2012 Gamma-spectroscopy measurement of natural radioactivity and assessment of radiation hazard indices in soil samples from oil fields environment of delta state, Nigeria. J Environ Radioact 109: 64– 70. 22310017
  4. Aguilera F, Méndez J, Pásaro E, Laffon B. 2010 Review on the effects of exposure to spilled oils on human health. Journal of Applied Toxicology 30: 291– 301. 20499335
  5. Akani N, Obire O. 2014 Bacterial populations of clarias gariepinus (burchell 1822) exposed to an oilfield wastewater in rivers state, Nigeria. Asian Journal of Biological Sciences 7: 208– 216.
  6. Al-Hashem MA, Brain PF, Omar SA. 2007 Effects of oil pollution at Kuwait's greater al-burgan oil field on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in the tissues of the desert lizard acanthodactylus scutellatus and their ant prey. Ecotoxicology 16: 551– 555. 17879161
  7. Al-Hashem MA. 2011 Evidence of hepatotoxicity in the sand lizard acanthodactylus scutellatus from Kuwait's greater al-burgan oil field. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 74: 1391– 1395. 21411141
  8. Alonso SG, Esteban-Hernández J, Rivera YV, Hernández-Barrera V, Miguel ÁGd. 2010 Water pollution in sources close to oil-producing fields of Bolivia. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública 28: 235– 243. 21152710
  9. An YJ, Kampbell DH, Jeong SW, Jewell KP, Masoner JR. 2005 Impact of geochemical stressors on shallow groundwater quality. Sci Total Environ 348: 257– 266. 16162329
  10. Asia I, Jegede S, Jegede D, Ize-Iyamu O, Akpasubi E. 2007 The effects of petroleum exploration and production operations on the heavy metals contents of soil and groundwater in the Niger delta. International Journal of Physical Sciences 2: 271– 275.
  11. Brown LD, Ulrich AC. 2015 Oil sands naphthenic acids: A review of properties, measurement, and treatment. Chemosphere 127: 276– 290. 25753852
  12. Brown P 2003 Qualitative methods in environmental health research. Environ Health Perspect 111: 1789– 1789. 14594634 PMC1241726
  13. Cai Q, Long M-L, Zhu M, Zhou Q-Z, Zhang L, Liu J. 2009 Food chain transfer of cadmium and lead to cattle in a lead–zinc smelter in Guizhou, China. Environmental Pollution 157: 3078– 3082. 19573961
  14. Castranova V 2000 From coal mine dust to quartz: Mechanisms of pulmonary pathogenicity. Inhal Toxicol 12 Suppl 3: 7– 14. 26368596
  15. Clements AL, Griswold WG, Johnston JE, Herting MM, Thorson J, Collier-Oxandale A, 2017 Low-cost air quality monitoring tools: From research to practice (a workshop summary). Sensors 17: 2478. PMC5713187 29143775
  16. Collier-Oxandale A, Hannigan MP, Casey JG, Piedrahita R, Ortega J, Halliday H, 2018 Assessing a low-cost methane sensor quantification system for use in complex rural and urban environments. Atmos Meas Tech Discuss: 1– 35. PMC7802090 33442426
  17. Cozzarelli IM, Skalak KJ, Kent DB, Engle MA, Benthem A, Mumford AC, 2017 Environmental signatures and effects of an oil and gas wastewater spill in the williston basin, North Dakota. Sci Total Environ 579: 1781– 1793. 27939081
  18. Czolowski ED, Santoro RL, Srebotnjak T, Shonkoff SBC. 2017 Toward consistent methodology to quantify populations in proximity to oil and gas development: A national spatial analysis and review. Environ Health Perspect 125: 086004. 28858829 PMC5783652
  19. Dahlgren J, Takhar H, Anderson-Mahoney P, Kotlerman J, Tarr J, Warshaw R. 2007 Cluster of systemic lupus erythematosus (sle) associated with an oil field waste site: A cross sectional study. Environ Health 6: 8. 17316448 PMC1821321
  20. Dey T, Gogoi K, Unni B, Bharadwaz M, Kalita M, Ozah D, 2015 Role of environmental pollutants in liver physiology: Special references to peoples living in the oil drilling sites of Assam. PLoS One 10: e0123370. 25874634 PMC4395329
  21. Esswein EJ, Breitenstein M, Snawder J, Kiefer M, Sieber WK. 2013 Occupational exposures to respirable crystalline silica during hydraulic fracturing. J Occup Environ Hyg 10: 347– 356. 23679563
  22. Field RA, Soltis J, Murphy S. 2014 Air quality concerns of unconventional oil and natural gas production. Environ Sci Process Impacts 16: 954– 969. 24699994
  23. Finkel ML, Hays J. 2015 Environmental and health impacts of ‘fracking’: Why epidemiological studies are necessary. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 70(3): 221– 222. 26254291
  24. Fu X, Cui Z, Zang G. 2014 Migration, speciation and distribution of heavy metals in an oil-polluted soil affected by crude oil extraction processes. Environ Sci Process Impacts 16: 1737– 1744. 24824116
  25. Gardner R 2003 Overview and characteristics of some occupational exposures and health risks on offshore oil and gas installations. Annals of Occupational Hygiene 47: 201– 210. 12639833
  26. Gun RT. 2004 Update of a prospective study of mortality and cancer incidence in the australian petroleum industry. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 61: 150– 156. 14739381 PMC1740698
  27. Hrichi H, Baccouche S, Belgaied JE. 2013 Evaluation of radiological impacts of tenorm in the tunisian petroleum industry. J Environ Radioact 115: 107– 113. 22902311
  28. Hurtig AK, San Sebastian M. 2002 Geographical differences in cancer incidence in the Amazon basin of Ecuador in relation to residence near oil fields. Int J Epidemiol 31: 1021– 1027. 12435778
  29. Hurtig AK, San Sebastian M. 2004 Incidence of childhood leukemia and oil exploitation in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. Int J Occup Environ Health 10: 245– 250. 15473076
  30. ICRP ICoRP. 1999 Protection of the public in situations of prolonged radiation exposure. Ann ICRP 29: 1– 2. 10962071
  31. Jackson RB, Vengosh A, Carey JW, Davies RJ, Darrah TH, O'Sullivan F, 2014 The environmental costs and benefits of fracking. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 39: 327– 362.
  32. Johnston JE, Werder E, Sebastian D. 2016 Wastewater disposal wells, fracking, and environmental injustice in southern Texas. American Journal of Public Health 106: 550– 556. 26794166 PMC4816143
  33. Kassotis CD, Klemp KC, Vu DC, Lin CH, Meng CX, Besch-Williford CL, 2015 Endocrine-disrupting activity of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and adverse health outcomes after prenatal exposure in male mice. Endocrinology 156: 4458– 4473. 26465197
  34. Kassotis CD, Bromfield JJ, Klemp KC, Meng CX, Wolfe A, Zoeller RT, 2016 Adverse reproductive and developmental health outcomes following prenatal exposure to a hydraulic fracturing chemical mixture in female c57bl/6 mice. Endocrinology 157: 3469– 3481. 27560547 PMC5393361
  35. Kelsh MA, Morimoto L, E L. 2009 Cancer mortality and oil production in the Amazon region of Ecuador, 1990–2005. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 82. 18651161
  36. Kilburn KH, Warshaw RH. 1995 Neurotoxic effects from residential exposure to chemicals from an oil reprocessing facility and superfund site. Neurotoxicology and Teratology 17: 89– 102. 7760780
  37. Kponee KZ, Chiger A, Kakulu II, Vorhees D, Heiger-Bernays W. 2015 Petroleum contaminated water and health symptoms: A cross-sectional pilot study in a rural nigerian community. Environ Health 14: 86. 26546277 PMC4636824
  38. Lauer NE, Harkness JS, Vengosh A. 2016 Brine spills associated with unconventional oil development in North Dakota. Environmental Science & Technology 50: 5389– 5397. 27119384
  39. Lave R, Lutz B. 2014 Hydraulic fracturing: A critical physical geography review. Geography Compass 8: 739– 754.
  40. Li H, Carlson KH. 2014 Distribution and origin of groundwater methane in the wattenberg oil and gas field of northern Colorado. Environmental Science & Technology 48: 1484– 1491. 24456231
  41. Li H, Son JH, Carlson KH. 2016 Concurrence of aqueous and gas phase contamination of groundwater in the wattenberg oil and gas field of northern Colorado. Water Res 88: 458– 466. 26519629
  42. Macey GP, Breech R, Chernaik M, Cox C, Larson D, Thomas D, 2014 Air concentrations of volatile compounds near oil and gas production: A community-based exploratory study. Environ Health 13: 82– 82. 25355625 PMC4216869
  43. McKenzie LM, Allshouse WB, Burke T, Blair BD, Adgate JL. 2016 Population size, growth, and environmental justice near oil and gas wells in Colorado. Environmental Science & Technology. 50(21): 11471– 11480. 27689723
  44. McKenzie LM, Allshouse WB, Byers TE, Bedrick EJ, Serdar B, Adgate JL. 2017 Childhood hematologic cancer and residential proximity to oil and gas development. PLoS One 12: e0170423. 28199334 PMC5310851
  45. Miedico O, Iammarino M, Paglia G, Tarallo M, Mangiacotti M, Chiaravalle AE. 2016 Environmental monitoring of the area surrounding oil wells in val d'agri (italy): Element accumulation in bovine and ovine organs. Environ Monit Assess 188: 338. 27165602
  46. Moolgavkar SH, Chang ET, Watson H, Lau EC. 2014 Cancer mortality and quantitative oil production in the Amazon region of Ecuador, 1990-2010. Cancer Causes Control 25: 59– 72. 24293001 PMC3889987
  47. Moskovchenko DV, Babushkin AG, Artamonova GN. 2009 Surface water quality assessment of the Vatinsky Egan river catchment, west Siberia. Environ Monit Assess 148: 359– 368. 18283550
  48. Mousa HA. 2015 Short-term effects of subchronic low-level hydrogen sulfide exposure on oil field workers. Environ Health Prev Med 20: 12– 17. 25315268 PMC4284242
  49. O'Rourke D, Connolly S. 2003 Just oil? The distribution of environmental and social impacts of oil production and consumption. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 28: 587– 617.
  50. O’Callaghan-Gordo C, Orta-Martínez M, Kogevinas M. 2016 Health effects of non-occupational exposure to oil extraction. Environmental Health 15: 56. 27117290 PMC4847237
  51. Ogbija T, Atubi A, Ojeh V. 2015 Effects of environmental degradation on human health in selected oil communities in delta state. Journal of Environment and Earth Science 5: 72– 88.
  52. Okoli CG. 2006 Rural households perception of the impact of crude iol exploration in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of rivers state, Nigeria. Journal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR) 6.
  53. Olobaniyi SB, Omo-Irabor OO. 2016 Environmental impact assessment of selected oil production facilities in parts of Niger delta, Nigeria. Journal of Water Resource and Protection 08: 237– 242.
  54. Paz-y-Mino C, Lopez-Cortes A, Arevalo M, Sanchez ME. 2008 Monitoring of DNA damage in individuals exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons in Ecuador. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1140: 121– 128. 18991910
  55. Rajaretnam G, Spitz HB. 2000 Effect of leachability on environmental risk assessment for naturally occurring radioactive materials in petroleum oil fields. Health Phys 78: 191– 198. 10647985
  56. Reno AL, Brooks EG, Ameredes BT. 2015 Mechanisms of heightened airway sensitivity and responses to inhaled SO2 in asthmatics. Environ Health Insights 9: 13– 25. PMC4384764 25922579
  57. Rich AL, Crosby EC. 2013 Analysis of reserve pit sludge from unconventional natural gas hydraulic fracturing and drilling operations for the presence of technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material (teNORM). New Solut 23: 117– 135. 23552651
  58. San Sebastián M, Armstrong B, Stephens C. 2002 Outcomes of pregnancy among women living in the proximity of oil fields in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. Int J Occup Environ Health 8: 312– 319. 12412848
  59. San Sebastián M, Armstrong B, Stephens C. 2001 Health of women living near oil wells and oil production stations in the Amazon region of Ecuador. Revista Panamericana de Salud Publica. 9: 375– 384. 11550580
  60. San Sebastian M, Armstrong B, A CJ, C. S 2001 Exposures and cancer incidence near oil fields in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. Occup Environ Med 58: 517– 522. 11452046 PMC1740173
  61. Saunders PJ, McCoy D, Goldstein R, Saunders AT, Munroe A. 2016 A review of the public health impacts of unconventional natural gas development. Environmental Geochemistry and Health: 1- 57. 27921191
  62. Shonkoff SB, Hays J, Finkel ML. 2014 Environmental public health dimensions of shale and tight gas development. Environ Health Perspect 122: 787– 795. 24736097 PMC4123033
  63. Stringfellow WT, Camarillo MK, Domen JK, Sandelin WL, Varadharajan C, Jordan PD, 2017 Identifying chemicals of concern in hydraulic fracturing fluids used for oil production. Environ Pollut 220: 413– 420. 27743793
  64. Teng Y, Feng D, Song L, Wang J, Li J. 2013 Total petroleum hydrocarbon distribution in soils and groundwater in Songyuan oilfield, northeast China. Environ Monit Assess 185: 9559– 9569. 23748918
  65. Wang J, Cao X, Liao J, Huang Y, Tang X. 2015 Carcinogenic potential of PAHs in oil-contaminated soils from the main oil fields across China. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 22: 10902– 10909. 25772862
  66. Webb J, Coomes OT, Ross N, Mergler D. 2016 Mercury concentrations in urine of Amerindian populations near oil fields in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon. Environ Res 151: 344– 350. 27525667
  67. Yermukhanova L, Zhexenova A, Izimbergenova G, Turebaev M, Bekbauova A, Zumabekov E, 2017 Immunodeficiency states in persons residing in the oil-producing regions of Kazakhstan. Research Journal of Medical Sciences 11: 16– 18.
  68. Zhang J, Yang JC, Wang RQ, Hou H, Du XM, Fan SK, 2013 Effects of pollution sources and soil properties on distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and risk assessment. Sci Total Environ 463-464: 1– 10. 23787103

Authors
Johnston, J. E., Lim, E., & Roh, H.
Affiliations
University of Southern California (US)
Corresponding author
Johnston, Jill E.
ORCID
Venue
Science of The Total Environment
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-03
Volume
657
Pages
187-199
ISSN
0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.483
PMC
PMC6344296
OpenAlex
W2902609800
Cited by
243
References
93
Citations by year
2026: 40 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 1
FWCI
0.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • The Science of The Total Environment (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • NIEHS (R21ES027695)
  • Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center (5P30ES007048)
  • Marisla Fund
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Oil, Gas, and Environmental Issues
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Air Quality and Health Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Environmental Justice and Health Disparities
Keywords
oil well drilling, community health, environmental health, environmental exposure, soil contamination, water pollution, air pollution, cancer risk, liver injury, immunodeficiency, neurological symptoms, occupational exposure, chemical mixtures
MeSH terms
Animals, Environmental Exposure, Environmental Health, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Pollution, Humans, Public Health, Oil and Gas Fields

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review