Social Vulnerability and Groundwater Vulnerability to Contamination From Unconventional Hydrocarbon Extraction in the Appalachian Basin
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Published:2023-04
Issue:4
Volume:7
Page:
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ISSN:2471-1403
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Container-title:GeoHealth
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language:en
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Short-container-title:GeoHealth
Author:
Soriano Mario A.12ORCID,
Warren Joshua L.3,
Clark Cassandra J.4ORCID,
Johnson Nicholaus P.4,
Siegel Helen G.1ORCID,
Deziel Nicole C.4ORCID,
Saiers James E.1ORCID
Affiliation:
1. School of the Environment Yale University New Haven CT USA
2. Integrated GroundWater Modeling Center High Meadows Environmental Institute Princeton University Princeton NJ USA
3. Department of Biostatistics School of Public Health Yale University New Haven CT USA
4. Department of Environmental Health Sciences School of Public Health Yale University New Haven CT USA
Abstract
AbstractUnconventional oil and gas (UOG) development, made possible by horizontal drilling and high‐volume hydraulic fracturing, has been fraught with controversy since the industry's rapid expansion in the early 2000's. Concerns about environmental contamination and public health risks persist in many rural communities that depend on groundwater resources for drinking and other daily needs. Spatial disparities in UOG risks can pose distributive environmental injustice if such risks are disproportionately borne by marginalized communities. In this paper, we analyzed groundwater vulnerability to contamination from UOG as a physically based measure of risk in conjunction with census tract level sociodemographic characteristics describing social vulnerability in the northern Appalachian Basin. We found significant associations between elevated groundwater vulnerability and lower population density, consistent with UOG development occurring in less densely populated rural areas. We also found associations between elevated groundwater vulnerability and lower income, higher proportions of elderly populations, and higher proportion of mobile homes, suggesting a disproportionate risk burden on these socially vulnerable groups. We did not find a statistically significant association between elevated groundwater vulnerability and populations of racial/ethnic minorities in our study region. Household surveys provided empirical support for a relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and capacity to assess and mitigate exposures to potentially contaminated water. Further research is needed to probe if the observed disparities translate to differences in chemical exposure and adverse health outcomes.
Funder
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University
Geological Society of America
Princeton Environmental Institute, Princeton University
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Subject
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Pollution,Waste Management and Disposal,Water Science and Technology,Epidemiology,Global and Planetary Change
Cited by
1 articles.
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