Study concludes North Dakota gas capture could have prevented thousands of hospital visits and millions of dollars in medical expenses

(Fargo, ND) — A researcher is drawing consideration to outcomes of his research centered on alleged well being impacts of flaring in North Dakota’s oil fields. 

“About 2015 we began seeing experiences that North Dakota was flaring a billion {dollars} yr value of pure gasoline, and we’re like, that is loads,” stated Dr. Wesley Blundell, Assistant Professor of Economics at Washington State College. 

Blundell says 1000’s of respiratory-related hospital visits and hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in medical bills and misplaced wages have been brought on by pure gasoline flared at North Dakota oil wells. Blundell says all of that would have been prevented had the state met it is gasoline seize purpose in the course of the 9 yr interval starting in 2007.  

“The areas uncovered to the best quantity of flared pure gasoline upwind are usually not essentially the areas which might be getting the very best worth of oil extraction. That’s they aren’t areas you’d count on to be getting a whole lot of the financial profit,” stated Blundell. 

STUDY LINK: Pure gasoline flaring, respiratory well being, and distributional results