The expansion of unconventional oil and gas development (UNGD) in the US has been highly controversial so far with no consensus on its health, economic, environmental, and social implications. This paper examines the effects of UNGD on the health profile of the population in the context of Oklahoma using a unique data set. To this end, the analysis assembles a panel data set including 76 counties of Oklahoma, spanning the period 1998–2017. The analysis estimates the long-run relationship between the health profile and its determinants using the Common Correlated Effects (CCE) method. The empirical setup allows for cross-sectional dependence and accounts for both observed and unobserved heterogeneity. The main findings provide strong evidence that UNGD activities have negative effects on human health-related outcomes across all counties in Oklahoma. Specifically, an increase in the number of (unconventional) wells has a positive impact on mortality rates, and incidences of cancer, cardiac, and respiratory diseases in communities in close spatial proximity, and a negative impact on life expectancy. These findings provide evidence that UNGD activities pose significant risks to the public health profile across the Oklahoma population. Such findings are expected to have substantial implications for the national debate on the regulation of UNGD.

迄今为止，美国非常规油气开发（UNGD）的扩张一直存在争议，对其健康，经济，环境和社会影响尚无共识。本文使用唯一的数据集来检验UNGD对俄克拉荷马州人群健康状况的影响。为此，分析汇总了一个面板数据集，包括1998年至2017年期间俄克拉荷马州的76个县。该分析使用“公共相关效应”（CCE）方法估计了健康状况及其决定因素之间的长期关系。经验设置允许横截面相关性，并说明观察到的和未观察到的异质性。主要发现提供了有力的证据表明，UNGD活动对俄克拉荷马州所有县的人类健康相关后果均具有负面影响。具体而言，（非常规）井数量的增加对死亡率以及空间上邻近社区的癌症，心脏病和呼吸系统疾病的发生率具有积极影响，而对预期寿命则具有不利影响。这些发现提供了证据，证明UNGD活动对整个俄克拉荷马州人群的公共卫生状况构成了重大风险。预期这些发现将对有关UNGD法规的全国性辩论产生重大影响。这些发现提供了证据，证明UNGD活动对整个俄克拉荷马州人群的公共卫生状况构成了重大风险。预期这些发现将对有关UNGD法规的全国性辩论产生重大影响。这些发现提供了证据，证明UNGD活动对整个俄克拉荷马州人群的公共卫生状况构成了重大风险。预期这些发现将对有关UNGD法规的全国性辩论产生重大影响。