Air Pollution from Oil and Gas Activities in Texas: Health Impacts and Policy Solutions
Overview
This policy brief examines air pollution caused by oil and gas industries in Texas and its adverse health effects on residents, particularly children. The paper identifies hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and ozone formation as major contributors to asthma and respiratory illnesses, and proposes policy-based solutions to address this environmental health crisis.
What this essay covers
- Introduction: Overview of environmental health challenges in the U.S. and focus on Texas air pollution
- Population Affected: Analysis of asthma prevalence, respiratory impacts on children and adults
- State Level Issue: Texas-specific statistics on oil and gas emissions and health risks
- Policy Solutions: Current and proposed policy recommendations to mitigate air pollution
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Policy Brief Health Issue: Summary, Effect, & Proposed Solution
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Policy Brief Health Issue: Summary, Effect, & Proposed Solution
Introduction
In recent years, different individuals and populations in the United States (U.S.) face varying challenges of healthcare in their given environment. As such, it is necessary to develop policies that will help people overcome their various healthcare challenges in a particular environment. Notably, the American Public Health Association has identified environmental health as a component of U.S. public health. Environmental health focuses on how the relationship between human beings and their environment affects their health well-being. In the U.S., there are various environmental factors such as air, water, soil, and food that impact Americans' health in particular areas. This paper will discuss air pollution from oil and gas activities in Texas and its environments and the health impacts on the residents.
Population Affected
Air pollution from the oil and gas industries is a huge health problem for Texas and its surroundings. Hazardous air pollutants or HAPs have become a significant problem in most cities across the U.S. In Texas, harmful air pollution caused by oil and gas-related activities results in the formation of smog or ozone. In the U.S., smog has resulted in more than 23 million people have asthma, with 6.1 million being children (Franklin et al., 2019). According to Franklin et al. (2019), about 400,000 of these children live in Texas.