Group monitors oil and gas health concerns

    For the first time, Colorado residents have a one-stop shop to express health concerns and obtain information about oil and gas operations in their community, and the effort is garnering national recognition.
     The Oil and Gas Health Information and Response Group is a collaborative effort between the Air Pollution Control Division and the Disease Control and Environmental Epidemiology Division at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
    The group includes experts in oil and gas operations, air quality measurement, exposure assessment, toxicology, environmental medicine and health communications. Its primary goals are to:
    —Provide rapid response to citizen and local government health concerns through use of a hotline.
    —Monitor and analyze health trends related to oil and gas.
    —Use state-of-the-art air quality measurement and risk assessment methods to assess citizen concerns.
    —Effectively communicate investigative findings and other objective scientific information about the potential health risks associated with oil and gas emissions to citizens and policymakers.
    Earlier this year, the group received the prestigious Innovation Award from the Environmental Council of the States, which recognizes innovative approaches to address community concerns, improved collaborations and productive land use.
    The response group was formed in 2015 as a result of recommendations from the Colorado Oil and Gas Task Force, which wanted to help foster responsible development of oil and gas.
    Since then, almost 400 health concerns have been reported to the program, and health professionals have responded to every call within one to two business days, according to Tami McMullin, a toxicologist and program manager of the response group. Calls are increasing, and McMullin attributes that to increased awareness about the hotline as well as an increase in oil and gas operations in more highly populated areas.
    McMullin said most of the residents with health concerns who call the hotline or fill out a form on the department’s website report eye, nose and throat irritation; nausea; and headaches. The majority of the reported concerns seem to be related to intermittent odors from nearby oil and gas operations.

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