Field Survey of Health Perception and Complaints of Pennsylvania Residents in the Marcellus Shale Region

Abstract

Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale region residents have reported medical symptoms they believe are related to nearby Unconventional Natural Gas Development (UNGD). Associations between medical symptoms and UNGD have been minimally explored. The objective of this descriptive study is to explore whether shale region Pennsylvania residents perceive UNGD as a health concern and whether they attribute health symptoms to UNGD exposures. A questionnaire was administered to adult volunteers with medical complaints in a primary-care medical office in a county where UNGD was present. Participants were asked whether they were concerned about health effects from UNGD, and whether they attributed current symptoms to UNGD or to some other environmental exposure. There were 72 respondents; 22% perceived UNGD as a health concern and 13% attributed medical symptoms to UNGD exposures. Overall, 42% attributed one or more of their medical symptoms to environmental causes, of which UNGD was the most frequent. A medical record review conducted on six participants who attributed their medical symptoms to UNGD revealed that only one of these records documented both the symptoms in question and the attribution to UNGD. The results of this pilot study suggest that there is substantial concern about adverse health effects of UNGD among Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale residents, and that these concerns may not be adequately represented in medical records. Further efforts to determine the relationship between UNGD and health are recommended in order to address community concerns.

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“…In terms of risk perception and self-reported health, a survey in Pennsylvania found that 12.5% of participants presenting to a primary care clinic believed UNGD contributed to their current symptoms, and 22% of participants were concerned about UNGD and its harm to health (Saberi et al, 2014). The data obtained for this part of the study did not allow for discerning whether self-reported symptoms differed amongst residents in the three study areas based on their perceptions of resource development exposures and the impact on health; however, this would be beneficial to include in future studies to determine if the level of community concern (risk perception) aligns with the reported health outcomes.…”

“…Stratified random sampling was used in the current study, which represents a methodological improvement over previous studies. Only one other study appeared to use randomised sampling (Coons & Walker, 2008); most others have used purposive sampling or were not clear in the sampling method (McCarron, 2013;Saberi et al, 2014;Steinzor et al, 2013;Subra, 2009Subra, , 2010.…”

“…Other symptoms, such as eye irritation, as well as central nervous system (e.g., dizziness, fainting, headaches), dermatological (e.g., blisters, rashes, sores), digestive (e.g., diarrhoea, nausea, stomach pain), and respiratory (e.g., burning nose, nosebleeds, sinus congestion, sore throat) symptoms, have been echoed elsewhere in the USA (D. Brown et al, 2015;Ferrar et al, 2013;Saberi, 2013;Saberi et al, 2014;Steinzor et al, 2013;Witter et al, 2011). While…”

“…A variety of data and information sources were used in these studies, including vital statistics on birth outcomes (Hill, 2012;McKenzie et al, 2014), cancer registries (Fryzek, Pastula, Jiang, & Garabrant, 2013), hospitalisation data (Coons & Walker, 2008), and self-report surveys (Saberi et al, 2014;Steinzor, Subra, & Sumi, 2013). These studies have predominantly used readily available data, which are generally low cost and allow for large-scale comparison (e.g., vital statistics and hospitalisation data).…”

“…As with any form of resource development, there is the potential for adverse impacts on the health of nearby residents (Adgate, Goldstein, & McKenzie, 2014;Coelho, Teixeira, & Gonçalves, 2011;Colagiuri, Cochrane, & Girgis, 2012;Stephens & Ahern, 2001). Residents living in proximity to unconventional natural gas development (UNGD) have consistently raised concerns about the potential for adverse health impacts Coram, Moss, & Blashki, 2014;Lechtenböhmer et al, 2011;Saberi, Propert, Powers, Emmett, & Green-McKenzie, 2014). However, the rapid development of this industry over the past 10-20 years has typically outpaced the ability to undertake baseline surveys and conduct comprehensive, prospective studies.…”