How nearby oil and gas development affects short-term hospital visits
Estimating acute impacts of unconventional oil and gas development on cause-specific hospitalization via satellite-based exposure assessment
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · EMORY UNIVERSITY · NIH-11187168
This project uses satellite data to link short-term air pollution from nearby unconventional oil and gas construction to increases in specific types of hospital visits among nearby community members.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | EMORY UNIVERSITY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (ATLANTA, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11187168 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
From my perspective as a local resident, the team will use satellite-based pollution measurements to capture short-term spikes from nearby oil and gas construction activities. They will combine those satellite estimates with detailed construction timelines and hospital records to see whether certain causes of hospitalization rise during construction stages. Modern causal analysis methods will be used to reduce confounding so the links are more reliable. The work focuses on rural U.S. communities that live close to unconventional oil and gas development.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people who live near onshore unconventional oil and gas development in the U.S., especially those in rural communities who may experience short-term air pollution spikes.
Not a fit: People who live far from oil and gas sites or whose health problems are unrelated to air pollution are unlikely to see direct benefit from this study's findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify which pollutants and construction stages drive short-term hospital visits so communities and regulators can target protections or warnings.
How similar studies have performed: Previous large studies used distance-based proxies and had limited exposure detail, so this project is relatively novel in using satellite-derived pollutant measures and causal methods to improve on past approaches.
Where this research is happening
ATLANTA, UNITED STATES
- EMORY UNIVERSITY — ATLANTA, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: LI, LONGXIANG — EMORY UNIVERSITY
- Study coordinator: LI, LONGXIANG
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.