Colorado has been something of a pioneer in terms of tracking health risks related to oil and gas production. In 2010, it was the *first in the nation to perform a detailed study* known as a “health impact assessment” on proposed natural gas development.

Now, it’s the first state to have a health response program for oil and gas operations. Fracking and drilling can release a range of pollutants that harm human health – for example, respiratory problems can result from dust and diesel exhaust, cardiac and pulmonary harm from ground-level ozone, and cancer and nerve damage from volatile organic compounds such as benzene.

Definitive proof of links between oil and gas production and health problems, though, is often elusive. Exactly how development can impact human health, and to what degree, is still not fully known. Toward that end, Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment has set up an “Oil and Gas Health Information and Response Program” to address citizens’ health concerns and improve the information available about health risks.