Article type
Year
Abstract
Background; The exploitation of unconventional deposits (EUD) is a controversial issue because it faces economic, social and political interests. There is clear uncertainty about the health impacts of the exploitation. However, potential dangers to human health have been raised as serious as cancer, damage to the central nervous system, the endocrine system, the reproductive system and the respiratory system, as well as irritation of the skin and mucosa. In addition to this, there are doubts about the distribution of risk and benefit
Objectives: Perform a systematic review of the literature on effects of fracking (including other unconventional extraction techniques of oil or gas) on human health.
Methods: We searched Pubmed, Embase and Scopus. Free terms used were: ("fracking" OR "hydraulic fracturing") OR ((unconventional OR flowback OR shale) AND (gas OR oil)) without language limits, but limited the search to publications during last the 20 years (search date November 06, 2018). Literature search in Scopus only included journals classified as Medicine, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Psychology, Immunology and Microbiology, Nursing, or Health Professions. Initial selection of relevant articles, based on title and abstract, was done separately by 2 members of the research group and full-text versions were obtained for data extraction. The list of references of each study was analyzed manually to apply a snowball strategy. Due to heterogeneity in included references methodology, we did not rate quality of evidence with a standardized method.
Results: Initial search retrieved 2420 references, of which 166 articles were included. Additionally, 124 relevant articles were identified after the “snowball” was applied. Out of 232 articles with geographical reference, 153 (75%) came from US; 21 (9%) from UK; 17 (7%) Canada, 5 Germany, 4 Australia, 3 Norway, one each from Albania, Argentina, China, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, and Switzerland. We included original research articles, literature reviews, letters to the editor, commentaries and regulatory agencies reports
Conclusions:
Current evidence is not enough to show causal association between adverse human health outcomes and fracking. There is, however, moderate evidence that associates air pollutants released during UET with respiratory health effects. Long-term health effects, such as birth defects, cancer, endocrine disruption and reproductive effects were seen as possible. While current scientific evidence leaves questions unanswered about health impacts, there is no evidence that support safety of fracking.
Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
We wanted to look for solid, systematic and quality evidence on the health effects of performing this extraction, we must take into account patients with chronic diseases or population at risk who live in the surrounding areas, with this information from hand, it is easier for decision-makers to know the impact of this technique on public health and environmental health
Objectives: Perform a systematic review of the literature on effects of fracking (including other unconventional extraction techniques of oil or gas) on human health.
Methods: We searched Pubmed, Embase and Scopus. Free terms used were: ("fracking" OR "hydraulic fracturing") OR ((unconventional OR flowback OR shale) AND (gas OR oil)) without language limits, but limited the search to publications during last the 20 years (search date November 06, 2018). Literature search in Scopus only included journals classified as Medicine, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Psychology, Immunology and Microbiology, Nursing, or Health Professions. Initial selection of relevant articles, based on title and abstract, was done separately by 2 members of the research group and full-text versions were obtained for data extraction. The list of references of each study was analyzed manually to apply a snowball strategy. Due to heterogeneity in included references methodology, we did not rate quality of evidence with a standardized method.
Results: Initial search retrieved 2420 references, of which 166 articles were included. Additionally, 124 relevant articles were identified after the “snowball” was applied. Out of 232 articles with geographical reference, 153 (75%) came from US; 21 (9%) from UK; 17 (7%) Canada, 5 Germany, 4 Australia, 3 Norway, one each from Albania, Argentina, China, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, and Switzerland. We included original research articles, literature reviews, letters to the editor, commentaries and regulatory agencies reports
Conclusions:
Current evidence is not enough to show causal association between adverse human health outcomes and fracking. There is, however, moderate evidence that associates air pollutants released during UET with respiratory health effects. Long-term health effects, such as birth defects, cancer, endocrine disruption and reproductive effects were seen as possible. While current scientific evidence leaves questions unanswered about health impacts, there is no evidence that support safety of fracking.
Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
We wanted to look for solid, systematic and quality evidence on the health effects of performing this extraction, we must take into account patients with chronic diseases or population at risk who live in the surrounding areas, with this information from hand, it is easier for decision-makers to know the impact of this technique on public health and environmental health