Impact of the oil and gas production process on the environment and human health

Abstract

Technologies for oil and gas production and transportation of hydrocarbons pose a potential threat to the environment and human health. The aim of this work is to consider the consequences caused by the proximity of oil fields on the health of the population living nearby using the north of the Irkutsk Region as an example. The incidence of the population was analyzed for the Katanga and Ust-Kut oilfield areas of Irkutsk Region based on statistical information from the annual reports of the Ministry of Health of the Irkutsk Region for the period 2015-2019. We analyzed information on general morbidity, eye diseases, diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and malignant neoplasms as well as perinatal and infant mortality and stillbirth. The results obtained indicate the negative impact of oil fields on the health of the population in the immediate vicinity. It is shown that the Katanga Municipality, where the oil field is practically the only type of economic activity, is leading in all the considered indicators of the population morbidity, as well as in perinatal and infant mortality, and stillbirths. It is noted that babies are the most vulnerable group, the infant mortality rate in the area adjacent to the oil field is more than 2 times higher than in the region as a whole, and the stillbirth rate is almost 6 times higher than the corresponding indicators for the region. The obtained data are interpreted by the authors as preliminary and requiring additional research.