De omvang van de psychosociale gaswinningsproblematiek: Een benadering op basis van de GGD gezondheidsmonitor

What is the extent of psychosocial problems directly or indirectly due to gas extraction? Since 2016, it has been known that people affected by multiple damage and home strengthening have more health complaints. The current report quantifies the size of this group. Policy should consider that more than 170,000 Groningers have multiple damage. In this group (also affected by strengthening), the number of residents with poorer health is between 7,100 and 13,000 higher than expected based on the control group. The number of people at high risk of anxiety disorder or depression is between 4,100 and 6,800 higher. It is also known that, besides health, there are other far-reaching psychosocial consequences, such as perceived insecurity in one's home and a decrease in trust in authorities. Previous research shows that the impact in these domains is many times greater than the health impact. But unlike for health outcomes, it is harder to express the scale of these problems in numbers. Based on current knowledge, it is unlikely that the scale will decrease significantly within 5 to 10 years. The recommendation is that concerned parties together develop a coherent approach to these large and far-reaching impacts of gas production.[translation by author]