In the Media

Oil and gas health impacts cost $77 billion per year, study findsNitrogen oxide was the largest contributor to the overall health impacts, followed by ozone and then fine particulate matter, according to researchers at Boston University School of Public Health, the University of North Carolina Institute for the Environment, PSE Healthy Energy and the Environmental Defense Fund.

Air pollution from oil and gas industry costs $77bn in US health impacts each yearAir pollution linked to the industry led to 7,500 excess deaths, more than 400,000 asthma attacks and 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma in 2016, according to a study compiled by Boston University School of Public Health, University of North Carolina Institute for the Environment, PSE Healthy Energy, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

Oil and gas production linked to $77 billion in annual health care costsAiming to address this gap, a collaborative study led by the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), the University of North Carolina Institute for the Environment (UNC-IE), PSE Healthy Energy, and Environmental Defense Fund has been published in the journal Environmental Research: Health.

Air Pollution from Oil and Gas Production Contributes to Thousands of Early Deaths, Childhood Asthma Cases NationwideA new study led by the School of Public Health, the University of North Carolina Institute for the Environment (UNC-IE), PSE Healthy Energy, and Environmental Defense Fund fills this gap.

New York law to prohibit natural gas in most new buildsEric Lebel, a senior scientist for PSE Health Energy, previously told Scripps News there are two main concerns that gas stoves pose. One is that stoves can emit methane gas, which is a potent greenhouse gas...

Failing to Meet Our Climate Goals Is Not an OptionAccording to PSE Healthy Energy, a nonprofit research institute that looked into current decarbonization policies in three western states, the policies that center communities with heavy pollution burdens and high energy costs result in more significant public health and economic benefits than policies that focus solely on lowering emissions. What’s more, decarbonization policies that don’t account for equity could inadvertently prolong a community’s exposure to pollutants.

How the Clean Air Act lets closed coal plants keep polluting for yearsA loophole allows power plants to collect emissions allowances after they close, and there is a huge volume of credits on the market that will take years to work their way through the system.

A new report reveals the unexpected home appliance that’s causing major health problems — and it’s not just gas stovesGas appliances — including water heaters, furnaces, clothes dryers, fireplaces, air conditioners, and space heaters — run on methane-based “natural gas.” And according to Drew Michanowicz, a scientist at research institute PSE Healthy Energy, all samples of natural gas contain “a small suite of hazardous air pollutants that clearly we would not want to be exposed to.” These include carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde, particulate matter, and other substances.

Agencies defer to each other in search for answers to Rutledge area gas wells"There actually has not been a lot of study done on abandoned wells and their contribution to poor health outcomes," Seth Shonkoff, executive director of PSE Health Energy, said. Shonkoff said experts agree that being under a kilometer away from an active gas well is linked with respiratory issues and adverse birth outcomes.

Should You Replace Your Gas Stove With an Electric One? Here’s What Chefs and Scientists SayThe debate over gas vs. electric stoves is hotter than ever. But now that professional chefs and scientists are weighing in, there’s a clear frontrunner.

Black, Latinx Californians Face Highest Exposure to Oil and Gas WellsA new study appearing in the March 23 edition of the journal GeoHealth finds that these Californians are disproportionately Black, Latinx or low-income, and Black Californians are more likely to live near the most intensive oil and gas operations.

Black, Latinx Californians Face Highest Exposure to Oil and Gas Wells“The weight of scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that people living near oil and gas development have a greater risk of respiratory problems and adverse birth outcomes,” said Seth B.C. Shonkoff, executive director of PSE Healthy Energy and an associate researcher at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. “Attempts to undermine or delay California’s landmark setback law contradict the science and increase public health risks, particularly for Black and brown communities.”