BACKGROUND Hydraulic fracturing together with directional and horizontal well drilling (unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development) has increased substantially over the last decade. UOG development is a complex process presenting many potential environmental health hazards, raising serious public concern. AIM To conduct a scoping review to assess what is known about the human health outcomes associated with exposure to UOG development. METHODS We performed a literature search in MEDLINE and SCOPUS for epidemiological studies of exposure to UOG development and verified human health outcomes published through August 15, 2019. For each eligible study we extracted data on the study design, study population, health outcomes, exposure assessment approach, statistical methodology, and potential confounders. We reviewed the articles based on categories of health outcomes. RESULTS We identified 806 published articles, most of which were published during the last three years. After screening, 40 peer-reviewed articles were selected for full text evaluation and of these, 29 articles met our inclusion criteria. Studies evaluated pregnancy outcomes, cancer incidence, hospitalizations, asthma exacerbations, sexually transmitted diseases, and injuries or mortality from traffic accidents. Our review found that 25 of the 29 studies reported at least one statistically significant association between the UOG exposure metric and an adverse health outcome. The most commonly studied endpoint was adverse birth outcomes, particularly preterm deliveries and low birth weight. Few studies evaluated the mediating pathways that may underpin these associations, highlighting a clear need for research on the potential exposure pathways and mechanisms underlying observed relationships. CONCLUSIONS This review highlights the heterogeneity among studies with respect to study design, outcome of interest, and exposure assessment methodology. Though replication in other populations is important, current research points to a growing body of evidence of health problems in communities living near UOG sites.

中文翻译：

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非常规石油和天然气的开发与健康成果：流行病学研究的范围回顾。

背景技术在过去的十年中，水力压裂以及定向和水平井钻井（非常规油气（UOG）的发展）已经大大增加。UOG的开发是一个复杂的过程，存在许多潜在的环境健康危害，引起了公众的严重关注。目的进行范围研究，以评估与暴露于UOG发育有关的人类健康结果。方法我们在MEDLINE和SCOPUS中进行了文献搜索，以研究暴露于UOG的流行病学研究，并验证了截至2019年8月15日发表的人类健康结果。对于每项合格的研究，我们都提取了研究设计，研究人群，健康结果，暴露评估的数据方法，统计方法和潜在的混杂因素。我们根据健康结果的类别对文章进行了回顾。结果我们确定了806篇已发表的文章，其中大多数是在过去三年中发表的。筛选后，选择40篇经同行评审的文章进行全文评估，其中29篇符合我们的纳入标准。研究评估了妊娠结局，癌症发生率，住院，哮喘加重，性传播疾病以及交通事故造成的伤害或死亡。我们的审查发现，在29项研究中，有25项报告了UOG暴露指标与不良健康结局之间至少存在统计学上的显着关联。最常被研究的终点是不良的出生结局，尤其是早产和低出生体重。很少有研究评估可能支持这些关联的中介途径，强调明确需要研究潜在的暴露途径和所观察到的关系的潜在机制。结论这篇综述着重说明了研究设计，关注结果和暴露评估方法之间研究的异质性。尽管在其他人群中进行复制很重要，但目前的研究表明，居住在UOG站点附近社区中健康问题的证据越来越多。