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

Shell’s Falcon Pipeline Under Investigation for Serious Public Safety Threats

Shell’s Falcon Pipeline, which is designed to carry ethane to the Shell ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA for plastic production, has been under investigation by federal and state agencies, since 2019.
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Kern County’s Drafted EIR Will Increase the Burden for Frontline Communities

Built on sound data and ample research, FracTracker recommends several measures be taken to protect the health of California's overburdened Frontline Communities.
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Los Angeles, California skyline

California Oil & Gas Setbacks Recommendations Memo

The purpose of this memo is to recommend guidelines to CalGEM for evaluating the economic value of the social benefits and costs to people and the environment in requiring a 2,500 foot setback for oil and gas drilling (OGD) activities.
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