Table 1.
Summary of epidemiological studies on health outcomes from exposures associated with oil drilling
| Author(s) | Year | Country | Study Design | Study Population and Sample Size (n) |
Findings | Health Effect |
Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | |||||||
| San Sebastian et al. | 2001 | Ecuador | Cross-sectional | 10 cases from ~1000 residents in San Carlos,1989-98 | Village near oil fields had to 3.6 times higher cancer incidence and mortality among males | Effect | Good |
| Hurtig and San Sebastian | 2002 | Ecuador | Cross-sectional | Cancer cases nin 4 exposed (n=473) vs 11 unexposed (n=512) counties, 1985-1998 | Significant increase in incidence of (1) stomach, rectum, skin, soft tissue, and kidney cancer for men, (2) cervical and lymph cancer for women, and (3) hematopoeietic cancers for children < 10 in oil exploration regions |
Effect | Good |
| Hurtig and San Sebastian | 2004 | Ecuador | Cross-sectional | 91 cancer cases, 1985-2000 | Significantly elevated risk of leukemia among children < 14 years living in an oil extraction region | Effect | Good |
| Kelsh et al. | 2009 | Ecuador | Ecological | 7,713 deaths (of 2,569,685 person-years) in exposed vs 7,622 deaths (of 2,428,113 person-years) in unexposed regions, 1990-2005 | No significant increase in county-level cancer mortality rates in oil producing regions | No effect | |
| Moolgavkar et al. | 2014 | Ecuador | Ecological | Population and mortality data, 1990-2010 | No significant difference in cancer mortality rates between oil-producing and non-oil producing areas | No effect | Fair |
| McKenzie et al. | 2017 | United States | Case-control | 743 children (ages 0-24) with hematologic cancers vs non-hematologic cancers, 2001-2013 | Children ages 5-24 with acute lymphocytic leukemia were 4.3 times more likely to live in an area with the highest concentration of oil and gas wells | Effect | Good |
| Birth & Reproductive Outcomes | |||||||
| San Sebastian et al. | 2002 | Ecuador | Cross-sectional | 365 exposed compared to 283 non-exposed women (ages 17-45), 1998-99 | Increased likelihood of pregnancy resulting in spontaneous abortion among women in exposed communities | Effect | Good |
| Acute & non-cancer Outcomes | |||||||
| San Sebastian et al. | 2001 | Ecuador | Cross-sectional | 368 exposed compared to 291 in non-exposed communities between 1998-99 | Exposed women had significantly higher prevalence of nose and throat irritation. Headaches, earaches, eye irritation, diarrhea, and gastritis associated with nearness to oil wells. | Effect | Good |
| Dahlgren et al. | 2007 | United States | Cross-sectional | 90 exposed vs 129 unexposed adults | Higher prevalence of rheumatic diseases, lupus, neurological symptoms, respiratory symptoms, and cardiovascular problems | Effect | Good |
| Kudabayeva et al. | 2014 | Kazhakstan | Cross-sectional | 368 exposed children vs 447 unexposed | Higher prevalence of goiter in children ages 7-11 living in oil-producing regions | Effect | Fair |
| Dey et al. | 2015 | India | Cross-sectional | 46 exposed vs 61 control participants | Higher levels of respirable PM and NO2 associated with long-term liver injury in exposed group | Effect | Good |
| Kponee et al. | 2015 | Nigeria | Cross-sectional | 100 exposed vs 100 unexposed adults | Increased reports of neurological and hematological health problems among exposed residents | Effect | Good |
| Ogbija et al. | 2015 | Nigeria | Cross-sectional | 373 participants living in oil-producing communities | Household survey to assess perception of environmental degradation and enumerate cases of diarrhea, asthma, skin infection and bronchitis. | --- | Inadequate |
| Webb et al. | 2016 | Peru | Cross-sectional | 76 participants (ages 15 and older) | No significant increase in mercury levels in urine in populations living near oil extraction sites. | No effect | Fair |
| Yermukhanov a et al. | 2017 | Kazhakstan | Cross-sectional | 424 participants with immunodeficiency syndrome (stages 2 and 3) | Decrease prevalence of immunodeficiency decreased with increasing distance from oil fields | Effect | Fair |
| Occupational Health Studies | |||||||
| Esswein et al. | 2013 | United States | Cross-sectional | 111 personal breathing zone samples from workers in 5 states | Silica levels of hydraulic fracturing oil workers were ~10 times higher than recommended levels | Effect | Good |
| Gun et al. | 2004 | Australia | Cohort | 708 Australian petroleum industry employee deaths of 17,165 persons, 1981-96 | No significant increase in cancer mortality among cohort of workers in petroleum industry | No effect | Good |
| Kilburn | 1993 | United States | Case Study | 24-year old oil well tester exposed to 14,000 ppm hydrogen sulfide gas | Persistent and severe neurobehavioral symptoms after acute hydrogen sulfide gas exposure | Effect | Fair |
| Mousa | 2015 | Not Specified | Observational | 34 male patients (ages 22-60) attending an oil field clinic, 2012-13 | Oil field workers exposed to subchronic low levels of hydrogen sulfide reported upper respiratory tract bleeding | Effect | Inadequate |
| Paz-y-Miño et al. | 2008 | Ecuador | Cross-sectional | 46 oil workers exposed to hydrocarbons vs 46 non-exposed | Increased risk of mutagenic and carcinogenic damage and increased symptoms of common illnesses among individuals exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons | Effect | Fair |
| Community Risk Perception | |||||||
| Baptiste and Nordenstam | 2009 | Trinidad and Tobago | Cross-sectional | 177 residents from 3 villages between, June to August 2006 | Residents living closer to the drilling site had greater health and environmental concerns | Effect | Fair |
| Okoli | 2006 | Nigeria | Cross-sectional | 42 rural participants | Rural communities affected by environmental degradation, pollution, job displacement and health concerns | Effect | Inadequate |