What is methane?
Methane traps heat from the sun inside the atmosphere. It is over 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.1
Methane also contributes to ground-level ozone, or smog, a powerful lung irritant that triggers asthma attacks and interferes with lung development in children.
Wherever methane is being vented, flared, or leaked from oil and gas operations, other toxic chemicals come out right alongside it, which can have immediate and serious health impacts on nearby communities.2
Where does methane come from?
The biggest source of methane pollution in the US is oil and natural gas operations. Methane also comes from agriculture and landfills.3
On a yearly basis, the oil and gas industry dumps thirteen million tons of methane, along with other toxic pollutants, into the air.4
Why does the oil and gas industry leak so much methane?
Sometimes methane is released from oil and gas operations through deliberate venting and flaring by the oil and gas operators.5
Methane also leaks from oil and gas operations due to outdated technology and inadequate monitoring.
The gas is released at all stages of oil and gas operations — including pumps, pipelines, well pads, and compressor stations. However, with updated technologies and monitoring, methane leaks can be stopped.6
Why should Latinos care?
3.3 million US Hispanics live within one mile of active oil and gas facilities, which can emit significant amounts of air pollution.7
More than 1.78 million Latinos live and breathe in areas where toxic air pollution from oil and gas facilities is so high that the cancer risk is above the Environmental Protection Agency’s level of concern.8
Due to high levels of poverty, low levels of health insurance, and lack of access to adequate health care, Latinos are disproportionately burdened by the health impacts from methane and other air pollution.
Latino children experience 153,000 asthma attacks and 112,000 missed school days each year due to seasonal increases in ozone related to oil and gas air pollution.
Rates of asthma are often higher in Latino communities.9
A note on language: Though there is strong overlap between the terms “Latino” and “Hispanic,” they are not exactly the same, and the way that Latino and Hispanic individuals describe themselves is not universal or static. Here, the term “Hispanic” is used when citing specific research that uses this term. “Latino” is used in all other circumstances.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: momscleanairforce.org/ecomadres
Sources: momscleanairforce.org/sources-latinos-methane
This piece was originally published at EcoMadres