title: Environmental health research recommendations from the Inter-Environmental Health Sciences Core Center Working Group on unconventional natural gas drilling operations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Unconventional natural gas drilling operations (UNGDO) (which include hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling) supply an energy source that is potentially cleaner than liquid or solid fossil fuels and may provide a route to energy independence. However, significant concerns have arisen due to the lack of research on the public health impact of UNGDO.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCCs), funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), formed a working group to review the literature on the potential public health impact of UNGDO and to make recommendations for needed research.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Inter-EHSCC Working Group concluded that a potential for water and air pollution exists that might endanger public health, and that the social fabric of communities could be impacted by the rapid emergence of drilling operations. The working group recommends research to inform how potential risks could be mitigated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Research on exposure and health outcomes related to UNGDO is urgently needed, and community engagement is essential in the design of such studies.
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Trevor M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Penning
authors.forename: Patrick N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Breysse
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Howarth
authors.forename: Beizhan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004782:Environmental Health; D019652:Extraction and Processing Industry / Q000379:methods*; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D059206:Natural Gas; D011634:Public Health; D012106:Research; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D059206:Natural Gas; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical