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

How Fracking Bans Protect Communities and the Environment

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This article looks at the contrasting approach to fracking in Pennsylvania and New York. Pennsylvania’s extensive fracking operations have resulted in environmental and public health concerns. In contrast, New York’s ban on fracking has led to significant investments in renewable energy and permanent jobs.

A Closer Look at Risks of the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub

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The U.S. Department of Energy's ARCH2 hydrogen hub project presents substantial risks to the environment and human health and safety.

Exploring the Fallout of Precision Scheduled Rail: A Rail Worker’s Perspective on Precision Scheduled Rail

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Precision scheduled rail has raised concerns about safety and infrastructure degradation, with railroads focusing on cutting costs at the expense of maintaining a robust network.
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