Health and Safety

Learn about how the oil and gas industry impacts health and safety through FracTracker articles, maps, and imagery.

Health and Safety Risks

The FracTracker articles and maps below explore the ways that unconventional oil & gas development impact public health and safety, including air pollution, water contamination, pipeline incidents such as explosions, fracking-induced earthquakes, and more. We analyze many of these issues through an Environmental Justice lens, considering that marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by health issues caused by oil and gas activities.

Image Gallery

Explore our images of health and safety issues related to energy exploration, extraction, production, and fossil fuel products and byproducts.

East Palestine Disaster

Explore an album of images related to the February 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Related Articles

Rising Incidents, Lax Oversight: Ohio Oil and Gas Incidents, Inspections, and Enforcement 2015–2025

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FracTracker Alliance and Buckeye Environmental Network analyzed 2,529 Ohio oil and gas incidents from 2015 through 2025. Incidents are rising, classifications are often unclear, and roughly 25 inspectors oversee some 96,000 wells.
Drilling rig on a CNX (Consol Energy) fracking pad beyond a cattle pasture in Noble County, Ohio.

CNX’s Expanded Radiation Monitoring and Disclosure Fall Short

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Press Release: CNX’s Expanded Radiation Monitoring and Disclosure Fall Short. FracTracker calls for comprehensive radiation testing and enforceable public reporting requirements across Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry.
Aerial view of red brine haulers traveling on rural roads near homes in Moundsville, West Virginia.

PA DEP Approves Unusual “Mineral Brine” Well in Erie County, Raising Concerns About New Regulatory Loophole

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Media Advisory: PA DEP Approves Unusual “Mineral Brine” Well in Erie County, Raising Concerns About New Regulatory Loophole. FracTracker appeals permit, citing unresolved questions about testing and sale of highly saline subsurface water that can contain radium, metals, and other contaminants
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