The Clean Air Council, in partnership with the community, industry professionals, and academics, conducted a health impact assessment of a proposed Royal Dutch Shell natural gas and chemical processing complex in Monaca, Pennsylvania. The proposed facility is known as a “cracker,” which separates natural gas and chemical feedstocks into different compounds that are used primarily in manufacturing plastics.
Although the complex would have economic benefits for the region, the HIA said that plans need to address potential health impacts for air quality, noise and light pollution, increased construction-related traffic, economic impacts, quality of life impacts, and emergency management practices. The report recommended mitigating potential harms through fence-line monitoring, dust control plans, and educational investments in the community.
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This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health. The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health was originally developed by the Health Impact Project, formerly a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The creation of this resource was supported by a grant from the Health Impact Project. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
