Methane and air pollutant emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells and surrounding soils and the associated health impacts

废弃的油气井和周围土壤排放的甲烷和空气污染物以及相关的健康影响加拿大已经钻探了70多万口油气井，随着社会从化石燃料转型，世界各地将有数百万口井被废弃。最近的研究表明，废弃的油气井正在向大气排放甲烷和其他空气污染物，对人类健康、农业生产力和生态系统服务产生负面影响。甲烷是一种强有力的温室气体，与二氧化碳相比，在20年的时间框架内，甲烷是全球变暖潜能值的86，因此，甲烷是快速减少温室气体排放的关键目标。除了甲烷之外，废弃的油井还会释放出硫化氢（一种剧毒气体）和挥发性有机化合物，这些物质对人类健康造成了广泛的影响。然而，甲烷和其他空气污染物从水井和周围土壤排放的速度以及它们与人类健康的关系尚未得到研究。在拟议的项目中，我们将重点放在安大略省和魁北克省，与加拿大西部省份相比，这两个省份对废弃井的治理受到的关注较少。我们在这两个省的初步数据显示，废弃水井正在排放甲烷和其他空气污染物，尤其是硫化氢。现有的有限数据表明，甲烷排放量可能高于国家清单所显示的数字，需要更多的数据才能获得更具代表性的样本。在省一级，安大略省没有温室气体清单，废弃井的排放目前也不包括在魁北克省的温室气体清单中。开展废弃油气井及周边土壤甲烷、硫化氢、挥发性有机化合物排放和室内浓度野外测量。与此同时，我们也会进行一项普遍的健康症状调查。我们的研究将是第一个研究人类健康影响与废弃油气井和周围土壤排放的温室气体和空气污染物之间联系的研究。我们的数据可以被监管机构用来制定有效的温室气体减排战略，并管理越来越多的废弃油气井对空气质量和人类健康的影响。

Methane and air pollutant emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells and surrounding soils and the associated health impactsMore than 700,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled in Canada, and as society transitions away from fossil fuels, millions of wells around the world will be abandoned. Recent studies show that abandoned oil and gas wells are emitting methane and other air pollutants to the atmosphere, negatively impacting human health, agricultural productivity, and ecosystem services. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential of 86 compared to carbon dioxide over a 20 year time frame and thus, methane is a key target for rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to methane, abandoned wells emit hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic gas, and volatile organic compounds, which has been linked to a wide range of human health impacts. However, the rate at which methane and other air pollutants are emitted from wells and the surrounding soils and how they may be linked to human health have not yet been studied. In the proposed project, we focus on Ontario and Quebec, where efforts to mitigate abandoned wells have received less attention compared to those in western Canadian provinces. Our preliminary data in these two provinces show that methane and other air pollutants, in particular hydrogen sulfide, is being emitted from abandoned wells. The limited data available show that methane emissions are likely to be higher than what national inventories suggest and additional data is needed to obtain a more representative sample. At the provincial level, Ontario does not have a greenhouse gas inventory, and emissions from abandoned wells are currently not included in Quebec's greenhouse gas inventory. We will conduct field measurements of methane, hydrogen sulfide, and volatile organic compound emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells and surrounding soils, and concentrations of these gases indoors. In parallel, we will also conduct a prevalent health symptoms survey. Our study will be the first to study the link between human health impacts and greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells and surrounding soils. Our data can be used by regulators to develop effective greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies and manage air quality and human health impacts of the growing number of abandoned oil and gas wells.