Environmental and Health Issues in Unconventional Oil and Gas Development

Environmental and Health Issues in Unconventional Oil and Gas Development offers a series of authoritative perspectives from varied viewpoints on key issues relevant in the use of directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing, providing a timely presentation of requisite information on the implications of these technologies for those connected to unconventional oil and shale gas development.

Utilizing expertise from a range of contributors in academia, non-governmental organizations, and the oil and gas industry, Environmental and Health Issues in Unconventional Oil and Gas Development is an essential resource for academics and professionals in the oil and gas, environmental, and health and safety industries as well as for policy makers.

Offers a multi-disciplinary appreciation of the environmental and health issues related to unconventional oil and shale gas development Serves as a collective resource for academics and professionals in the oil and gas, environmental, health, and safety industries, as well as environmental scientists and policymakersFeatures a diverse and expert group of chapter authors from academia, non-governmental organizations, governmental agencies, and the oil and gas industry

Introduction 1. The Unconventional Oil and Gas Process and an Introduction to Exposure Pathways 2. Hydraulic Fracturing for Shale Gas: Economic Rewards and Risks 3. Methane Emissions from the Natural Gas Supply Chain 4. A Review of Drinking Water Contamination Associated with Hydraulic Fracturing 5. Water Use and Wastewater Management: Interrelated Issues with Unique Problems and Solutions 6. A Primer on Litigation That Involves Alleged Water Well Contamination 7. Occupational Health and Safety Aspects of Oil and Gas Extraction 8. Public Health, Risk Perception & Risk Communication: Unconventional Shale Gas in the United States and the European Union 9. Transportation of Shale Gas and Oil Resources 10. An Evaluation of the Hydraulic Fracturing Literature for the Determination of Cause-Effect Relationships and the Analysis of Environmental Risk and Sustainability 11. Induced Seismicity 12. State and Federal Oil and Gas Regulations 13. The International Perspective of Challenges and Constraints in Shale Gas Extraction