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We are seeing听听circle the world. The听听听we are fast running out of time to secure a liveable and sustainable future. Without emergency action to stop mining and burning fossil fuels, the world faces an unthinkable 2.8鈩� temperature rise.

It鈥檚 incomprehensible, then, that many of our politicians support 鈥溾�� in the Northern Territory and developing another听听across Australia.

鈥淯nlocking鈥� means starting large-scale shale gas extraction. After drilling through 3鈥�4km of rock and aquifers, a cocktail of chemicals, sand and water is forced down the well. This process of hydraulic fracturing is commonly known as fracking. This brings to the surface, and then into the atmosphere, carbon that had been securely stored underground for听.

Today we have launched a听report听that demonstrates the many risks of oil and gas development for human health and wellbeing in Australia. Based on a review of over 300 peer-reviewed studies, our report provides the public and decision-makers with a summary of the now-extensive evidence of these risks.

What's the evidence against oil and gas?

There is a need to combat widely held misconceptions and repeated misinformation about the safety of the oil and gas industry. We undertook the review at the request of concerned paediatricians in the Northern Territory.

听clearly shows that 鈥渦nlocking gas鈥� is at least as harmful to the climate as mining and burning coal. This is largely due to methane leaks at many stages of production. Methane is听听than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere over 20 years.

Doors opened for the 49 planned projects in Australia after state reviews of potential impacts. These reviews are flawed and outdated as the volume of published studies has grown rapidly in recent years. Reviews were undertaken, for example, in听听in 2014,听听in 2017,听听in 2015 and听听in 2018.

Our report synthesises recent scientific and public health research on five areas of concern about oil and gas operations:

• threats to biodiversity, water and food security arising from site preparation, drilling, fracking, wastewater handling, gas pipeline transport and processing
• contributions to the climate emergency
• a vast array of potentially harmful chemicals
• contamination of water, soil and air
• physical, social, emotional and spiritual health impacts near oil and gas fields and their sprawling infrastructure.

Each fracking event to release shale gas uses听听of fresh water. Fracking is often applied many times to each of hundreds to thousands of wells in a region. This puts听听in arid areas.

Each step of gas production creates risks of contamination of surface and ground water. With vast quantities of wastewater, it can happen through spilling, leaking, flooding and overflows. Wastewater can even be听听for so-called 鈥渂eneficial uses鈥�.

This wastewater contains听. Some are naturally occurring. Others are added during drilling and fracking.

These chemicals can include heavy metals, phenols, barium, volatile organic compounds including benzene, toluene, ethylene and xylene, radioactive materials, fluoride, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, salt and many chemicals of unknown toxicity.

听with volatile organic compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, radioactive materials, diesel fumes, hydrogen sulfide, acrolein and heavy metals. Formaldehyde, particulate matter and听听are formed and travel long distances, damaging health and agriculture.

What are the health impacts

People exposed to oil and gas operations experience a long list of harms. These include:

• more severe听听requiring more medical treatment, emergency department visits and hospitalisations
• higher hospitalisation and death rates due to听,听,听听and听
• higher injury and听听due to increased heavy vehicle traffic
• increases in depression, anxiety and social withdrawal, especially among听听and听听women
• increases in听听associated with the industry鈥檚 mobile workforces
• 听and听听of unborn babies, including higher risks of low birth weight, pre-term delivery and spontaneous abortion
• higher risk of听
• higher risk of听.

Putting Indigenous people and others in harm's way

Many of the 49 planned projects affect Aboriginal land. Some companies have allegedly violated the rights of Traditional Owners to听. The听听of Aboriginal Country and life puts people at great risk of physical,听,听听and听听harm.

The report also issues a loud warning about sexual violence against First Nations听听and听听associated with oil and gas activities. The WA听听into women鈥檚 experiences of sexual harassment and sexual violence in 鈥渇ly in, fly out鈥� (FIFO) mines suggests these risks apply equally in Australia. Yet all听听of oil and gas development in Australia completely ignore these risks.

Read more:听

In the United States, the industry has grown so vast within two decades that over听听live within a mile (1.6km) of oil or gas wells. By 2016, the estimated听听was US$77 billion. This was the cost of illness, extra health care and premature deaths (7,500) from asthma, respiratory and cardiovascular disease due to air pollution alone.

Our report makes clear any further gas development will have serious impacts on the climate, the people living in or near gas fields and the overburdened health services that serve them.

This article was originally published on听.