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BACKGROUND AND AIM: Hydraulic fracturing (HF) is a chemically intensive oil and gas extraction method. Although studies indicate exposure to HF during pregnancy may be associated with adverse birth...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Issues of environmental justice exist with respect to toxic waste facilities, concentrated animal feeding operations, and air pollution exposure. For the first time, we aimed to...

BackgroundPrior studies suggest exposure to oil and gas development (OGD) adversely affects birth outcomes, but no studies have examined flaring-the open combustion of natural gas-from OGD.ObjectivesWe investigated whether residential proximity to flaring from OGD was associated with shorter gestation and reduced fetal growth in the Eagle Ford Shale of south Texas.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using administrative birth records from 2012 to 2015 (N=23,487) and satellite observations of flaring activity during pregnancy within 5km of maternal residence. Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were used to estimate associations between four outcomes (preterm birth, small-for-gestational age, continuous gestational age, and term birthweight) and exposure to a low (1-9) or high (≥10) number of nightly flare events, as compared with no exposure, while controlling for known maternal risk factors. We also examined associations with the number of oil and gas wells within 5km using data from DrillingInfo (now Enverus).ResultsExposure to a high number of nightly flare events was associated with a 50% higher odds of preterm birth [odds ratio (OR)=1.50 (95% CI: 1.23, 1.83)] and shorter gestation [mean difference=-1.9 (95% CI: -2.8, -0.9) d] compared with no exposure. Effect estimates were slightly reduced after adjustment for the number of wells within 5km. In stratified models these associations were present only among Hispanic women. Flaring and fetal growth outcomes were not significantly associated. Women exposed to a high number of wells (fourth quartile, ≥27) vs. no wells within 5km had a higher odds of preterm birth [OR=1.31 (95% CI: 1.14, 1.49)], shorter gestation [-1.3 (95% CI: -1.9, -0.8) d], and lower average birthweight [-19.4 (95% CI: -36.7, -2.0) g].DiscussionOur study suggests exposure to flaring from OGD is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. Our findings need to be confirmed in other populations. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6394.

In a demographically diverse cohort of 500 pregnant women recruited from two San Francisco hospitals, we used linear regression to evaluate the association between eight PFAS with detection frequen...

In a cohort of 500 pregnant women recruited from two San Francisco hospitals serving economically and ethnically diverse populations, we used Targeted Minimum Loss-Based Estimation (TMLE) to evalua...

In recent years there has been a rapid rise in unconventional oil and gas (UOG) extraction, commonly known as fracking. Excess natural gas resulting from UOG extraction is disposed of through flari...

Background/Aim: Cross-sectional studies suggest unequal distribution of urban greenspace. The extent to which neighborhood demographics are related to changes in greenspace over time remains unknow...

Objective: We examined the distribution of heat risk–related land cover (HRRLC) characteristics across racial/ethnic groups and degrees of residential segregation. Methods: Block group–level tree canopy and impervious surface estimates were derived from the 2001 National Land Cover Dataset for densely populated urban areas of the United States and Puerto Rico, and linked to demographic characteristics from the 2000 Census. Racial/ethnic groups in a given block group were considered to live in HRRLC if at least half their population experienced the absence of tree canopy and at least half of the ground was covered by impervious surface (roofs, driveways, sidewalks, roads). Residential segregation was characterized for metropolitan areas in the United States and Puerto Rico using the multigroup dissimilarity index. Results: After adjustment for ecoregion and precipitation, holding segregation level constant, non-Hispanic blacks were 52% more likely (95% CI: 37%, 69%), non-Hispanic Asians 32% more likely (95% CI: 18%, 47%), and Hispanics 21% more likely (95% CI: 8%, 35%) to live in HRRLC conditions compared with non-Hispanic whites. Within each racial/ethnic group, HRRLC conditions increased with increasing degrees of metropolitan area-level segregation. Further adjustment for home ownership and poverty did not substantially alter these results, but adjustment for population density and metropolitan area population attenuated the segregation effects, suggesting a mediating or confounding role. Conclusions: Land cover was associated with segregation within each racial/ethnic group, which may be explained partly by the concentration of racial/ethnic minorities into densely populated neighborhoods within larger, more segregated cities. In anticipation of greater frequency and duration of extreme heat events, climate change adaptation strategies, such as planting trees in urban areas, should explicitly incorporate an environmental justice framework that addresses racial/ethnic disparities in HRRLC.

Background: Perchlorate is an oxidizing agent used to manufacture rocket fuel, munitions, and other products, and exposure in the U.S. is ubiquitous. Perchlorate inhibits iodide uptake into the thy...