Advanced techniques have greatly promoted the exploitation of shale gas from shale matrix with low permeability. But the gas transport mechanism in shale is still unclear. Due to the multi-scale pore systems in a shale reservoir, viscous flow, slip flow, Knudsen diffusion and adsorption/desorption should be applied to the flowing equation so that it can properly predict gas flow dynamics. Multi...

What do we know about ageing at work? Evidence-based fitness for duty and health in fire fighters. The current enthusiasm for fracking takes me back to the oil crisis of the late 1970s. I had been asked to see a post-thoracotomy patient and, when he recovered, found that his lesion had been pneumoconiotic. When I enquired which mine he worked in, he told me that it had been a shale mine and sin...

Conditions that affect the sensitivity of the Ames assay of complex hydrocarbon mixtures derived from shale oil were studied. Two fractions, one enriched in polynuclear aromatic compounds (PNA fraction), and a second fraction enriched in aromatic and heterocyclic amines (basic fraction), were selected for most of this work because of their comparatively high mutagenicity (i.e., compared with ra...

The shale gas exploration and development is now a delicate and controversial subject. It is often assumed that unconventional exploration and extraction automatically brings prosperity for local, national and regional economies. In this paper, we argue that shale gas development requires a contextualized understanding of regional issues. We are also trying to identify the opportunities and the...

Oil derived from oil shale deposits is known to contain many organic complexes. The formation of carcinogenic hydrocarbons is temperature-dependent and is associated with retorting of the oil. Furthermore, oil shale is a rich source of inorganic elements such as the metals. Biological studies have demonstrated that concentrated extract of tars from combustion of shale oil are carcingenic to the...

Landslides along the Missouri and Kansas rivers will affect existing structures and potential development in the Kansas City metropolitan area. A pilot landslide-mapping project was conducted in the vicinity of Atchison, Kansas, to inventory existing landslides and determine the factors that caused them. Landslides are generally controlled by the slope morphology, geology, soils, and moisture c...

Shale gas is currently being explored in Europe as an alternative energy source to conventional oil and gas. There is, however, increasing concern about the potential environmental impacts of shale gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing (fracking). In this study, we focussed on the potential impacts on regional water resources within the Baltic Basin in Poland, both in terms of quantity and qua...

BACKGROUND The United States has experienced a boom in natural gas production due to recent technological innovations that have enabled this resource to be produced from shale formations. OBJECTIVES We reviewed the body of evidence related to exposure pathways in order to evaluate the potential environmental public health impacts of shale gas development. We highlight what is currently known ...