New research from Australia’s national science agency CSIRO has been released into the potential for coal seam gas (CSG) activity in Queensland to affect human health.
A 2,150 square kilometres study site in the Surat Basin, Queensland, was selected and factors that could lead to potential hazards such as chemicals, air emissions, noise, light and dust associated with coal seam gas activities were identified and appraised. Existing data related to these factors was screened to determine whether any factors would require in-depth assessment.
While the study found that for the majority of factors there was no plausible pathway to impact human health, it determined further in-depth assessment of a small number of identified factors was required.
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As a result, two new CSIRO research projects are now underway and will conduct further in-depth studies focusing on eight groups of chemical factors.
The research, undertaken by CSIRO and The University of Queensland, was governed through CSIRO’s Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA). GISERA is an alliance led by CSIRO and is a collaboration between CSIRO, commonwealth, state and territory governments and industry with the purpose of working with the community to undertake research about the potential or actual impacts of gas development, across major environmental and socio-economic topics.
The study was funded primarily by the Queensland (and Federal Governments and CSIRO. GISERA industry partners APLNG and QGC also provided funding and made available operational data.
CSIRO Energy Resources research director and GISERA director Dr Damian Barrett said the study provided forensic information about the potential hazards to affect human health from CSG activities in the Surat Basin.
“The value of this exhaustive study is that it provides certainty about where we need to focus further research,” Dr Barrett said.
“By ruling out factors of no concern we ensure cost-effective and targeted use of research resources to zero in on chemical factors with a possible pathway for potential impact on human health.
“CSIRO is already taking the next steps to look more closely at these eight groups of chemical factors where a potential pathway can’t be ruled out or more information is needed.”
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Key results
The study found that for the majority of factors, there was no plausible pathway to impact human health. Noise and light emissions from coal seam gas activities do not pose a hazard to physical health in the study site. Chemical factors associated with air emissions from CSG activities were within relevant health-based air quality objectives.
Of the 97 unique chemical factors used in coal seam gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations:
- 72 were assessed and found to have low hazard potential to human health at the study site.
- 25 chemical factors (in eight groups) warrant further in-depth assessment. Based on the available evidence, none of these chemicals were found to represent an acute hazard to human health in the study site.
- A CSIRO extension study examined the microbial degradation of these groups of chemical factors in soil and aquifer samples and found that four chemical groups degraded readily in soils within days, and more slowly in aquifer samples.
The full report is available here.
