Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US oil and gas sector has boosted exports to the point where the US is at the top of the world’s energy-exporting nations.
A study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) has been looking into what this expansion in production means for air quality and human health.
While there is extensive research on the climate effects of methane produced by the sector - a key contributor to air pollution - few studies have measured the health effects of the air pollution that oil and gas activity generates.
The new findings estimate that the pollutants nitrogen oxide (NO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) from US oil and gas production contributed to 7,500 excess deaths, 410,000 asthma attacks and 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma across the country. This equates to $77bn (£61bn) in annual health costs, it was estimated.
Comparatively, this total is three times the estimated climate impact costs...