Breathing air contaminated by the oil and gas industry kills 91,000 Americans every year, as reported in Phys.org.
Scientists at University College London and the Stockholm Environment Institute studied how dirty air from the petroleum industry harms people across every step of the process, from drilling wells to burning fuel in vehicles and electricity generation facilities.
They found that petroleum pollution causes over 10,000 premature births each year. The contaminated air also triggers more than 200,000 asthma diagnoses in children annually.
Black, Asian, Native American, and Hispanic populations experience the highest pollution levels throughout the entire process. The study revealed that burning petroleum fuels in vehicles and electricity facilities accounts for 96% of health damage.
Lead researcher Dr. Karn Vohra said: "What we found was striking: 1 in 5 preterm births and adult deaths linked to fine particulate pollution are from oil and gas. Even more concerning is that nearly 90% of new childhood asthma cases tied to nitrogen dioxide pollution were from this sector."
The pollution doesn't stop at borders. Contaminated air from American oil and gas operations drifts into Canada and Mexico, killing more than 1,600 people in those countries each year.
Communities living near refineries and chemical plants, such as those in Louisiana's "Cancer Alley," experience worse health problems. Historic policies that pushed certain groups into neighborhoods beside industrial zones continue to affect health outcomes today.
For humans, breathing this contaminated air means higher risks of lung disease, heart problems, and cancer. Children growing up in affected areas face lifelong health challenges that could have been prevented.
Doctors and scientists call for faster movement away from oil and gas to protect public health now, not just to address the warming planet in the future.
If you want cleaner air in your community, contact your local representatives and tell them you support stricter pollution controls on oil and gas operations. Voice your backing for policies that move your state toward clean energy sources.
Supporting clean energy in your own life helps, too. When possible, choose electric options for transportation and home heating. These switches reduce demand for oil and gas while improving air quality for everyone in your neighborhood.