Scoping Meeting for Human Health Study Critique, January 2018, Boston, MA

January 17, 2018

The Health Effects Institute (HEI) Energy Research Program hosted its first public meeting to discuss the Energy Research Committee’s (the Committee) critique of the human health literature related to the development of oil and natural gas from unconventional resources (UOGD) across the United States. The Committee will systematically review the literature, examining the strengths and limitations of the epidemiologic literature and reaching conclusions about what it does and does not tell us about the potential health effects associated with UOGD. The Committee will identify knowledge gaps that could be filled with original research to address concerns about adverse effects on the health of people living in communities affected by UOGD.

This Scoping Meeting provided an opportunity for a wide range of stakeholders to engage with one another and share their recommendations for the Committee’s Critique. In addition, meeting participants heard ten speakers from federal and state government, nongovernmental organizations, community groups, industry, and academia, and engaged in a productive exchange with the Committee and other meeting participants about HEI’s plans for its systematic review of the health literature, its review of the exposure literature, and future research challenges and opportunities. The meeting agenda and presentations can be found below. 

Sessions

Introduction to HEI's Energy Research Program

Carnegie Mellon University
George Hornberger
Vanderbilt University
Initial Energy Research Committee

Presentations

Speakers were asked to address the following questions:

  • What information should the committee review to assess the epidemiological literature related to the onshore development of oil and natural gas from unconventional resources?
  • What criteria should the committee use to evaluate study quality?
  • What do you see as key contributions that the Committee can make to the science and the public dialogue around the development of oil and natural gas from shale and other unconventional resources?
  • Looking beyond the initial Human Health Study Critique task, what do you see as key contributions from the Committee’s review of literature and research planning in Year 1 and beyond?
Nicole Deziel
Yale University school of Public Health
Dennis Devlin
Exxon Mobil Corporation
Kevin Teichman
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Elena Craft
Environmental Defense Fund
Paul Hodgins
ConocoPhillips
Martha Rudolph
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Raina Rippel
Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project
Judy Wendt Hess
Shell Oil Company
Michael Honeycutt
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
CAPT Aubrey K. Miller
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
George Hornberger
Vanderbilt University

Open Discussion with all Meeting Participants

All Meeting Participants

Location

Metro Meeting Centers
101 Federal Street
Floor 4
Boston, MA 02110
United States

Contact

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