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CONSERVATION GROUPS’ COMMENTS <br />UNCOMPAHGRE FIELD OFFICE RMP AND DEIS <br />108 <br /> <br /> Increases in ground-level ozone not only impact regional haze and visibility, but can also <br />result in dramatic impacts to human health. According to the EPA: <br />Breathing ground-level ozone can result in a number of health effects that are <br />observed in broad segments of the population. Some of these effects include: <br />• Induction of respiratory symptoms <br />• Decrements in lung function <br />• Inflammation of airways <br />Respiratory symptoms can include: <br />• Coughing <br />• Throat irritation <br />• Pain, burning, or discomfort in the chest when taking a deep breath <br />• Chest tightness, wheezing, or shortness of breath <br />In addition to these effects, evidence from observational studies strongly indicates <br />that higher daily ozone concentrations are associated with increased asthma <br />attacks, increased hospital admissions, increased daily mortality, and other <br />markers of morbidity. The consistency and coherence of the evidence for effects <br />upon asthmatics suggests that ozone can make asthma symptoms worse and can <br />increase sensitivity to asthma triggers.297 <br />Ozone is just one air-related byproduct of oil and gas development that may pose serious <br />impacts to human health. Recent studies in Garfield County confirm that air toxics are generated <br />during every stage of oil and gas development and can have potentially significant health impacts <br />even at concentrations below regulatory thresholds.298 Another recent study undertaken in rural <br />Colorado locations found that women who lived close to gas wells were more likely to have <br />children born with a variety of defects, from oral clefts to heart issues.299 And, yet another recent <br />study found that people who lived less than half a mile from a gas well had a higher risk of <br />health issues. The research found a small increase in cancer risk and alleged that exposure to <br />benzene was a major contributor to the risk.300 <br /> <br />Nature Geosci. 120-122 (2009) (attached as Exhibit 153); see also Detlev Helmig et al., Highly <br />Elevated Atmospheric Levels of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Uintah Basin, Utah, <br />ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (March 13, 2014) (attached as Exhibit 154). 297 EPA, Health Effects of Ozone in the General Population, available at: <br />http://www.epa.gov/apti/ozonehealth/population.html (attached as Exhibit 155). 298 Theo Colborn et al., An exploratory study of air quality near natural gas operations, HUM. <br />ECOL. RISK ASSESS (Nov. 9, 2012) (attached as Exhibit 156). 299 Lisa M. McKenzie et al., Birth Outcomes and Maternal Residential Proximity to Natural Gas <br />Development in Rural Colorado, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES (April 2014) (attached <br />as Exhibit 157). 300 McKenzie et al.