Air pollution from oil and gas extraction is claiming 91,000 American lives each year while triggering more than 200,000 new childhood asthma cases and 10,000 preterm births, with Black, Hispanic, Native American, and low-income populations bearing the brunt of these health impacts.
The disparities stem from how industrial facilities have been deliberately located in communities facing historical marginalization through underinvestment and redlining practices that blocked financial access. Environmental regulations are enforced less rigorously in low-income and minority areas, resulting in weaker monitoring and slower responses to violations.
Recent research tracking 68 million older American adults revealed that even low-level exposure to fine particulate matter and ozone significantly increases mortality risk, with clear patterns emerging along ethnic and income lines. A report from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People documented how African-American communities living near oil and gas facilities experience elevated asthma rates, cancer risks, and school absences compared with African-American communities farther from these sites and the overall US population.
The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced it will no longer factor human health into cost-benefit calculations for air quality standards, a decision that may further obscure the inequitable effects of oil and gas development on vulnerable populations. The United States maintains weaker rules than several European countries and Canada regarding where fossil fuel facilities can be located, with less stringent minimum distances from residential areas and more fragmented oversight of oil and gas operations.
See: “Pollution from fossil fuel development and health inequalities” (January 23, 2026)
