Publications

Research Report 233, Part 2, presents a study led by co-principal investigators Jennifer Baka and Susan L. Brantley (Pennsylvania State University) and their colleagues. Part 1 of the study, based on decade-old water quality data, identified elevated salts as a potential indicator of groundwater contamination related to unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD) in areas of Pennsylvania. It also documented community concerns about potential radiation exposures and water quality impacts from UOGD waste management. Part 2 provides more recent water quality data from surveys conducted in areas where evidence gathered in Part 1 suggested that groundwater may have been contaminated by UOGD.

This report presents a study led by Gunnar W. Schade (Texas A&M University) and Detlev Helmig (Boulder AIR). Schade, Helmig, and colleagues evaluated long-term air quality trends across unconventional oil and gas development regions in the United States, primarily in Texas (1997–2023) and Colorado (2008–2024).

This report presents a study led by Meredith Franklin at the University of Southern California. Franklin and colleagues examined the association between nontailpipe particle exposures and lung function in the landmark Children’s Health Study in Southern California and explored the role of noise and green space.

This report presents a study led by Patrick L. Kinney at the Boston University School of Public Health. Kinney and colleagues evaluated major national regulatory policies that were implemented in China between 2008 and 2019 to reduce air emissions. This study represents an impressive example of a large-scale accountability study that shows the effectiveness of implementing a suite of air pollution regulations.