The necessary health impact assessment of shale gas extraction

The development of unconventional hydrocarbon extraction technologies, known as "hydraulic fracturing" or "fracking", requires a detailed assessment of their impacts, both direct and indirect ones, and positive and negative ones, on workers' and communities' health. For this purpose, basic information about those groups is required, as well as data on industrial processes, substances and mixtures used in fracturing procedures and hydrocarbon extraction, in order to estimate human exposure and apply the risk assessment methodology. It will be important to have data from monitoring of emissions that alter the quality of air and water, especially from irritant gases and volatile organic compounds, particulate matter containing silica and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are today focus of attention for health care and environmental authorities elsewhere in the world where these facilities are also causing concern for communities. Demographic and socioeconomic impact, resulting in changes in the structure of employment, infrastructure and provision of public services in the community, including changes in health services, should also be considered.