Fracking and public health: Evidence from gonorrhea incidence in the Marcellus Shale region

Advancing gender transformative intersectional science for health justice: An ecosocial analysis

At a time when health-oriented institutions both globally and nationally are increasingly recognizing the need to support research, interventions and training that engage with analysis of how gendered social systems shape population health, independent of and in conjunction with sex-linked biology, it is essential that this work reject biological essentialism and instead embrace embodied integration. In this essay, guided by the ecosocial theory of disease distribution, I clarify connections and distinctions between biological versus social reproduction and inheritance, underscore the non-equivalence of the categories "sex" and "race," and offer a set of examples analyzing the production of gendered health inequities and who needs to do what to address them. The examples concern the worlds of work (sexual harassment; breastfeeding; sex work), ecologic environments (water access; fracking, sexually transmitted infections, & sexual violence); sexual reproduction and reproductive justice (gender stereotyping of reproductive biology; sterilization abuse and abortion bans); and (4) gender transformative initiatives (violence; health interventions). To advance gender transformative intersectional science for health justice, I offer recommendations regarding requirements for justifying data conceptualization, analysis and governance that can be implemented by institutions with the power to shape the funding, translation, and publication of science involving gender, sex-linked biology, and the people's health.

Mortality during Resource Booms and Busts

Using national data on county-level mortality, coal mining, and shale development, we examine the effects of resource booms and busts on mortality in the United States. We find evidence that decreases in operating coal mines increased total all-cause mortality, non-drug mortality, and opioid overdose mortality, especially for counties with greater than 10 operating coal mines in 2000. Our model results for drug overdose mortality and opioid overdose mortality are sensitive to the panel's start year. For shale development, the shale boom is associated with increases in non-drug suicides but otherwise had little impact on mortality. Our findings suggest a potential role for job-training programs and the cultivation of local healthcare resources in regions suffering coal busts and suicide prevention in areas with shale development.

Native American Age at Death in the USA

There are persistent disparities in mortality rates between Native Americans and other groups in the USA. Public-use mortality data severely limits the ability of researchers to examine contextual factors that might explain these disparities. Using restricted-use mortality microdata, we examine the relationship between geographic location, specific causes of death, and age at death. We show that Native American women, on average, die 13 years earlier than White women; Native American men, on average, die 12 years earlier than White men. These disparities are largest in the northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states. The disparity in age at death is in part due to Native Americans dying from diseases at younger ages than White Americans. Native American women and men die younger and more often from homicide in counties with persistently higher White male to female ratios. Native American men also die younger and more often from homicide when White male to female ratios increase within their county over time.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41996-021-00095-0.

Associations between oil development and sexually transmitted infections: Public health nurse perspectives

BACKGROUND

Oil development (OD) has been associated with increased sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates, with limited focus on the North Dakota (ND) oil boom. Public health (PH) nurse experiences can provide context related to health challenges during OD-related population booms.

OBJECTIVE

To compare reported STI rates in ND oil-producing (OP) and non-oil-producing (NOP) counties before, during, and after the oil boom and describe PH nurse experiences during this time.

DESIGN

We conducted secondary data analysis of oil production data and reported rates for chlamydia and gonorrhea, and conducted interviews with ND PH nurses.

SAMPLE

PH nurses within ND counties geographically located in or near OD in the state.

MEASUREMENTS

ND county-level OD data trends were compared to similarly timed reported rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea in OP and NOP counties. PH nurse interviews were conducted addressing their STI-related experiences working in PH during the oil boom.

RESULTS

Significant findings include a correlation between OD and gonorrhea rates. PH nurses described a limited PH infrastructure to meet the health needs of a transient, increasing population.

CONCLUSIONS

Expanding the role of PH nurses in ND to implement STI screening and treatment would improve access to STI testing allowing for comprehensive reporting of STIs.

Fracking and risky sexual activity

This paper examines the impact of the U.S. fracking boom on local STI transmission rates and prostitution activity as measured by online prostitution review counts. We first document significant and robust positive effects on gonorrhea rates in fracking counties at the national level. But we find no evidence that fracking increases prostitution when using our national data, suggesting sex work may not be the principal mechanism linking fracking to gonorrhea growth. To explore mechanisms, we then focus on remote, high-fracking production areas that experienced large increases in sex ratios due to male in-migration. For this restricted sample we find enhanced gonorrhea transmission effects and moderate evidence of extensive margin effects on prostitution markets. This study highlights public health concerns relating to economic shocks and occupational conditions that alter the local demographic composition.

A Multiregion Analysis of Shale Drilling Activity and Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States

BACKGROUND

Fossil fuel extraction from deep shale rock formations using new drilling technologies such as hydraulic fracturing has rapidly increased in the Unites States over the past decade. Increases in nonlocal, specialized workers to meet the demands of this complex industry have been suggested to influence the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in counties with shale drilling activity; these associations may vary geographically. In this multiregion analysis, we examine the associations between shale drilling activity and rates of 3 reportable STIs in Colorado, North Dakota, and Texas, states with active shale drilling.

METHODS

We obtained annual reported rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, number of active shale wells from Enverus (formerly known as DrillingInfo), and sociodemographic covariates from the US Census Bureau. We used multivariable mixed-effects Poisson regression modeling to estimate rate ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for potential confounders and secular trends.

RESULTS

In Texas, county-years with high drilling activity had 10% increased rates of chlamydia (RR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.17) and 15% increased rates of gonorrhea (RR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.04-1.28), compared with county-years with no drilling. No statistically significant associations were reported for syphilis or for any STIs in Colorado or North Dakota.

CONCLUSIONS

Associations between shale drilling and chlamydia and gonorrhea in Texas may reflect increased risk in areas with higher drilling activity and a greater number of major metropolitan areas. Interstate differences highlight the need for local epidemiology to prioritize community health policies.

Unconventional oil and gas development and health outcomes: A scoping review of the epidemiological research

BACKGROUND

Hydraulic fracturing together with directional and horizontal well drilling (unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development) has increased substantially over the last decade. UOG development is a complex process presenting many potential environmental health hazards, raising serious public concern.

AIM

To conduct a scoping review to assess what is known about the human health outcomes associated with exposure to UOG development.

METHODS

We performed a literature search in MEDLINE and SCOPUS for epidemiological studies of exposure to UOG development and verified human health outcomes published through August 15, 2019. For each eligible study we extracted data on the study design, study population, health outcomes, exposure assessment approach, statistical methodology, and potential confounders. We reviewed the articles based on categories of health outcomes.

RESULTS

We identified 806 published articles, most of which were published during the last three years. After screening, 40 peer-reviewed articles were selected for full text evaluation and of these, 29 articles met our inclusion criteria. Studies evaluated pregnancy outcomes, cancer incidence, hospitalizations, asthma exacerbations, sexually transmitted diseases, and injuries or mortality from traffic accidents. Our review found that 25 of the 29 studies reported at least one statistically significant association between the UOG exposure metric and an adverse health outcome. The most commonly studied endpoint was adverse birth outcomes, particularly preterm deliveries and low birth weight. Few studies evaluated the mediating pathways that may underpin these associations, highlighting a clear need for research on the potential exposure pathways and mechanisms underlying observed relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

This review highlights the heterogeneity among studies with respect to study design, outcome of interest, and exposure assessment methodology. Though replication in other populations is important, current research points to a growing body of evidence of health problems in communities living near UOG sites.

Household Water Security: An Analysis of Water Affect in the Context of Hydraulic Fracturing in West Virginia, Appalachia

Hydraulic fracturing has been booming in the last decade in the United States. While natural gas extraction and production has improved the national energy security, it has raised questions around the water security of those communities where extraction is taking place. Both scientists and residents are concerned about hydraulic fracturing’s impacts on surface- and groundwater, especially regarding how hydraulic fracturing impacts residents’ access to safe household well water. In the past decade, the Marcellus Shale has been developed in Northwestern West Virginia, yet the human geography dimensions of oil and gas extraction in West Virginia remain to be investigated. This article, based on 30 in-depth interviews, explores household groundwater insecurity due to hydraulic fracturing experienced by residents (i.e., mineral owners, surface owners, and concerned citizens) in Northwestern West Virginia. The concept of water affect is used to attend to the emotional and subjective dimensions of water security by unveiling the power, emotional struggles, and mental stress inherent in water testing practices and environmental regulation around hydraulic fracturing. Water testing is typically conducted by contractors hired by oil and gas companies, but it is mired in delayed test results and incorrect testing procedures, triggering residents’ negative feelings toward oil and gas companies. This article furthers the understanding of water security, commonly defined in terms of individual access to adequate water quality and quantity, by studying Appalachian residents’ anxieties about well water contamination and uncertainty around the long-term water impacts of hydraulic fracturing. By investigating the uneven power relations around groundwater in West Virginia, the emotional experiences and responses are articulated to further the notion of water affect as impacting household groundwater security.

Fracking and risky behaviors: Evidence from Pennsylvania

In the past decade, the technological developments in the oil and natural gas extraction industry made the extraction of shale gas economically feasible and prompted local economic booms across the US. Anecdotal evidence suggests that areas with unconventional gas development experience a disproportionate increase in the young male population who are more likely to be involved in risk-taking behavior. Moreover, the sudden income gains or demographic shifts might increase the demand for various goods and services, including entertainment and illegal activities provided by the adult entertainment industry. We investigate the relationship between unconventional gas development and a variety of risk-taking outcomes such as sexually transmitted infections, and prostitution-related arrests. Our identification strategy exploits the variation in shale gas or unconventional well drilling across time and counties in conjecture with a number of datasets that allow us to investigate the potential mechanisms. Our findings indicate that Pennsylvania counties with fracking activities have higher rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia infections (7.8% and 2.6%, respectively), as well as higher prostitution related arrests (19.7%). We posit that changes in the labor market and associated impacts to income or composition of workers may play a role in the estimated effects, but we do not find evidence in support of these hypotheses.

Contingency, cost, and a fracking ban: Extending sociological research with the contingent valuation method

Documenting patterns of environmental concerns has been a core effort of environmental sociology since the founding of the sub-discipline. Environmental economists, on the other hand, are pre-occupied with the valuation of non-market goods like ecosystems services and environmental policy. In this article, we argue that sociologists should cautiously embrace non-market valuation methods, particularly the contingent valuation method. We provide a motivating empirical example by considering the case of support for a fracking ban among residents of Colorado, USA. Our analysis suggests that Colorado residents’ support for a fracking ban is somewhat contingent upon the costs created by said ban. We then conclude by discussing how sociologists might extend research on non-market valuation with sociological insights.

Shale gas activity and increased rates of sexually transmitted infections in Ohio, 2000-2016

Background

The growing shale gas (“fracking”) industry depends on a mobile workforce, whose influx could have social impacts on host communities. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can increase through sexual mixing patterns associated with labor migration. No prior studies have quantified the relationship between shale gas activity and rates of three reportable STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

Methods

We conducted a longitudinal, ecologic study from 2000–2016 in Ohio, situated in a prolific shale gas region in the United States (US). Data on reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis by county and year were obtained from the Ohio Department of Health. All 88 counties were classified as none, low, and high shale gas activity in each year, using data from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Annual rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated from mixed-effects Poisson regression models evaluating the relationship between shale gas activity and reported annual STI rates while adjusting for secular trends and potential confounders obtained from the US Census.

Results

Compared to counties with no shale gas activity, counties with high activity had 21% (RR = 1.21; 95%CI = 1.08–1.36) increased rates of chlamydia and 19% (RR = 1.27; 95%CI 0.98–1.44) increased rates of gonorrhea, respectively. No association was observed for syphilis.

Conclusion

This first report of a link between shale gas activity and increased rates of both chlamydia and gonorrhea may inform local policies and community health efforts.