Air Quality

Learn about the air quality impacts of the oil and gas industry through FracTracker articles, maps, and imagery.

Air Quality

Oil and gas development negatively impacts air quality. Construction, drilling, storage, transportation, processing, and the burning of fossil fuels are all sources of serious air pollutants known to harm humans and the environment. The articles below reflect FracTracker’s work as it relates fracking and air pollution.

Tour Visible Air Emissions

Many air emissions are invisible to the naked eye, but there are situations when it is possible to see such cases of air pollution. View our digital tour of examples of visible air emissions.

Image Gallery

Every stage of oil and gas operations, from production and extraction to processing and distribution, releases air pollution. View our online gallery of images related to air quality.

GET INVOLVED

As unconventional oil and gas, petrochemical, and other industries continue to expand in the Ohio River Valley, there is an urgent need to quantify the adverse effects that this growth has on ambient air quality and human health.

We are utilizing grant funding from the U.S. EPA to raise awareness about ambient air quality, respond to community concern, and validate lived experiences through scientific analysis of air samples. If you are an Ohio resident living in Belmont or Jefferson County or a West Virginia resident living in Brooke, Marshall, or Hancock County who is interested in supporting our work by hosting an air monitor, click here for more information on how to get involved.

Related Articles

Explore the links below to learn about fracking and air pollution through visualizations such as maps, digital atlases of critical watersheds, and aerial photography.

A Hazy Future Report Cover

A Hazy Future: Pennsylvania’s Energy Landscape in 2045

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Report Calculates Impacts from PA’s Planned Natural Gas Infrastructure FracTracker…
Right to a healthy home - Photo credit: Leann Leiter

The Right to a Healthy Home

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Reframing Fracking in Our Communities Imagine that tonight you…
Photo courtesy of Claycord.com

Tracking Refinery Emissions in California’s Bay Area Refinery Corridor

Air quality in the California Bay Area has been steadily improving…
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