Fossil Fumes (2022 update)

The analysis finds that 236 counties in 21 US states face cancer risks exceeding the EPA's one-in-a-million threshold due to oil and gas pollution, affecting nearly 14 million people. The report identifies benzene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde as the primary drivers of this risk, accounting for 96% of the estimated cancer risk. It highlights that the population living in high-risk counties increased from 9 million in 2016 to 14 million in 2022, primarily due to industry growth. The report argues that implementing proven methane-reduction technologies, such as leak detection and repair and the replacement of gas-driven pneumatic equipment, would also significantly reduce toxic hazardous air pollution.

• Approximately 14 million people live in 236 counties across 21 states where the cancer risk from oil and gas pollution exceeds the EPA's one-in-a-million threshold level of concern.
• The population exposed to elevated cancer risk has grown from 9 million in 2016 to 14 million in 2022, a trend attributed to the overall expansion of the oil and gas industry.
• Three specific pollutants—formaldehyde, benzene, and acetaldehyde—are responsible for 96% of the estimated cancer risk from the oil and gas sector.
• Formaldehyde is the largest contributor to cancer risk, accounting for 65% of the elevated risk based on 2017 emissions, while benzene accounts for 29%.
• The highest health risks are concentrated in states with extensive oil and gas infrastructure, specifically New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Louisiana, West Virginia, and North Dakota.
• In Texas, 62 counties are estimated to face elevated cancer risk, with over 26,110 tons of hazardous toxic air pollution emitted by oil and gas facilities in 2017, representing a 204% increase since 2011.
• In Pennsylvania, 26 counties face high cancer risk affecting over 3.3 million people, following a 619% increase in hazardous toxic air pollution emissions between 2011 and 2017.
• The report asserts that the AirToxScreen results are an underestimate of the total health impact because they exclude respiratory risks, water contamination, secondary pollutants, and the effects of increased truck traffic.

APA

Patel, H., & Feldman, L. (2022). Fossil Fumes (2022 update). Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/14175846/fossil-fumes-report-2022.pdf

Chicago

Patel, Heny, and Lesley Feldman. Fossil Fumes (2022 update). Clean Air Task Force, 2022. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/14175846/fossil-fumes-report-2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Patel |first1=Heny |last2=Feldman |first2=Lesley |title=Fossil Fumes (2022 update) |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=September 2022 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/14175846/fossil-fumes-report-2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{patel2022fossil, author = {Patel, Heny and Feldman, Lesley}, title = {{Fossil Fumes (2022 update)}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/14175846/fossil-fumes-report-2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }