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Outdoor Air - Industry, Business, and Home: Oil and Natural Gas Production - Additional Information
This information will help you gain a better understanding of oil and natural gas production. The sections below provide more information on this topic.
- What are oil and natural gas production facilities?
- What are the health effects of pollutants emitted from oil and natural gas production facilities?
- How can I help oil and natural gas production facilities reduce air pollution?
- What other Web sites related to pollution reduction for oil and natural gas production facilities are available?
Return to Oil and Natural Gas Production Main Page
What are oil and natural gas production facilities?
- An oil or natural gas production facility is a facility that has oil and natural gas production equipment located within its boundaries.
- An oil and natural gas production facility processes, upgrades (i.e., removes impurities or other constituents to meet contract specifications), or stores hydrocarbon liquids prior to the point of custody transfer or where it enters into natural gas transmission or storage.
- The primary source of emissions at oil and natural gas production facilities is the glycol dehydration unit.
- Other sources include storage tanks with a potential for flash emissions and equipment leaks.
- EPA has developed a sector notebook that profiles the oil and natural gas extraction industry (PDF) (165 pp, 1.7 MB).
What are the health effects of pollutants emitted from oil and natural gas production facilities?
Oil and natural gas production facilities emit pollutants such as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). These pollutants can contribute to health problems that may affect facility employees and the community. While Federal, state, local, and Tribal regulations limit the amount of emissions from oil and natural gas production facilities, dangerous releases of HAPs can occur if an oil and natural gas production facility does not operate in compliance with regulations.
- Oil and natural gas production emits benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) as well as n-hexane and VOC.
- Benzene
- Exposure to benzene may cause
- Irritation of the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract.
- Blisters on the skin.
- Exposure to benzene over a long period of time may cause blood disorders, reproductive and developmental disorders, and cancer.
- EPA's Health Effects Notebook has more information related to the potential health effects of exposure to benzene.
- Exposure to benzene may cause
- Toluene
- Exposure to toluene over a long time may cause nervous system effects, irritation of the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract, dizziness, headaches, difficulty with sleep, birth defects.
- EPA's Health Effects Notebook has more information related to the potential health effects of exposure to toluene.
- Ethylbenzene
- Short-term exposure may cause throat and eye irritation, chest constriction, and dizziness.
- Long-term exposure may cause blood disorders.
- EPA's Health Effects Notebook has more information related to the potential health effects of exposure to ethylbenzene.
- Xylenes
- Short-term exposure to high levels of mixed xylenes may cause
- Irritation of the nose and throat.
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Gastric irritation.
- Mild transient eye irritation.
- Neurological effects.
- Long-term exposure to high levels of xylene may impact the nervous system.
- EPA's Health Effects Notebook has more information related to the potential health effects of exposure to xylenes.
- Short-term exposure to high levels of mixed xylenes may cause
- n-Hexane
- Short-term exposure to hexane can cause dizziness, giddiness, slight nausea, and a headache.
- Long-term exposure to hexane can cause numbness in extremities, muscular weakness, blurred vision, headaches, and fatigue.
- EPA's Health Effects Notebook has more information related to the potential health effects of exposure to hexane.
- VOC
- VOC is released during the production of oil and natural gas.
- The chemicals in VOC can form ground-level ozone (smog) which can cause breathing difficulties, especially with those who are young, elderly, or have existing respiratory problems such as asthma.
- EPA has an extensive Web site devoted to ground-level ozone.
For more information on the toxicity of these pollutants, check out information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). EPA also has more information available at its Air Toxics Web site.
How can I help oil and natural gas production facilities reduce air pollution?
- Make Connections
- Get to know local oil and natural gas production facility owners and operators. They know best about the processes used at their facilities and the regulations with which they must comply.
- Keep local media aware of progress by sending them updates. Publicity can reward success and attract more public involvement.
- One way to get to know local oil and natural gas facility owners and operators would be to learn about and promote the use of desiccant dehydrators (PDF) (21 pp, 784 KB).
- Make a Plan
- One idea is to form a work group that includes local owners and operators to develop and implement workable pollution reduction plans.
- Locate Resources
- Find state, local, and Tribal contacts.
- Use the resources listed on these Web pages to get help with analysis, technical information, equipment, training, and funding.
- Reward Facilities
- Encourage owners and operators to become Natural Gas STAR partners. See the Natural Gas STAR Communications Toolkit for ideas.
- Use media connections to provide coverage for successful efforts. Positive publicity can mean increased business.
- Visibly displayed awards or certificates may also improve business.
What other Web sites related to pollution reduction for oil and natural gas production facilities are available?
- EPA has developed National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Oil and Natural Gas Production Facilities.
- Guidance for 40 CFR 63 Subpart HH Oil and Natural Gas MACT Standard (PDF) (126 pp, 971 KB).
- EPA Region 8 hosted a Pollution Prevention Roundtable during which an OIl and Natural Gas Panel Discussion was held. The panel recommended several resources for pollution prevention information (PDF) (4 pp, 26 KB).
- The American Petroleum Institute is a trade organization and offers numerous publications, including waste management planning guidance.
- The Gas Technology Institute is a valuable source of up-to-date technologies.
- The Railroad Commission (RRC) of Texas has a list of useful links for waste minimization assistance and information. In addition, RRC has developed waste minimization planning software to assist in developing a waste minimization plan for a facility or site.
- The Southwest Network for Zero Waste provides a primer intended as a quick guide to the essential P2 information on oil and gas, as well as a compilation of pertinent on-line resources.