Assessing Source Contributions to Air Quality and Noise in Unconventional Oil Shale Plays

This report, available for downloading below, presents a study led by Meredith Franklin at the University of Toronto. Franklin and colleagues measured air pollutants such as ozone and volatile organic compounds; greenhouse gas emissions such as methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide; airborne radioactivity; and noise associated with UOGD activities in two shale production basins during a yearlong study period.

Key takeaways:

• Concentrations of most of the air pollutants and noise varied during the day and between seasons, with frequent occurrences of high concentrations (spikes).
• The investigators were able to identify and quantify specific sources of emissions contributing to environmental pollutant data.
• The study showed that UOGD, along with older oil and gas operations, is the dominant source of air pollution in the study area.