Conclusions and Recommendations
This study asks whether living in an area with active oil and gas extraction operations increases a person ’ s risk of getting , or dying from , COVID-19 . The question is an important one , yet this study does not pretend to generate definitive answers . Rather , it constitutes only a first step in that inquiry , one that generates hypotheses that we hope will be pursued in future research .
Based on the data that we reviewed , it is unclear whether oil and gas operations are affecting COVID-19 transmission , morbidity , and mortality in Colorado and New Mexico . That being said , evidence is emerging that air pollution increases the risk of getting a respiratory virus like COVID-19 and of experiencing a bad outcome , such as hospitalization or death . For that reason , reducing all sources of air pollution is a good strategy in protecting people from COVID-19 . To that end we offer the following recommendations :
• As oil and gas operations add to the cumulative air pollution burden in an airshed , all available steps should be taken to reduce pollution from those sources .
• Unlike some other air pollution sources , like wildfires , oil and gas pollutant emissions are something that can be controlled in the relatively short term . This makes it appropriate to focus efforts on reducing those emissions , whether they derive from leaks , flaring , blowdowns and other deliberate releases , or other causes related to oil and gas operations .
• Further research should be pursued to isolate and quantify the role played by oil and gas operations in contributing to nearby residents ’ vulnerability to disease and deaths associated with COVID-19 . We suggest that individual-level data on COVID-19 exposure , morbidity and mortality as well as co-morbidities , age , and other individual characteristics be among the questions to be explored .
14 | PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY