Coal-fired power plants are not randomly distributed across the American landscape. All Americans do not have the same likelihood or probability of having a dirty coal plant as a neighbor. More than 68 percent of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant, the distance within which the maximum effects of the smokestack plume are expected to occur. In comparison, 56 percent of whites and 39 percent of Latinos live in such proximity to a coal-fired power plant. Over 35 million American children live within 30 miles of a power plant, of which an estimated 2 million are asthmatic.
Coal is cheap. Coal is also dirty and pollutes when it is mined, transported to the power plant, stored, and burned. Coal causes smog, soot, acid rain, global warming, and toxic air emissions.The so-called “clean coal” is more myth and PR than reality. The 2004 Dirty Air, Dirty Power report revealed some shocking health impacts of air pollution from power plants: mortality (23.600), hospital admissions (21,850), emergency room visits for asthma (26,000) heart attacks (38,200), chronic bronchitis (16,200) asthma attacks (554,000), and lost work days (3,186,000).
Coal-burning power plants are the major source of pollution, a neurotoxin especially harmful to children and developing fetuses. A typical coal plant generates 170 pounds of mercury in a year, where just 1/70th of a teaspoon deposited on a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat. Mercury from coal-fired power plants have been shown to cause neurological damage, including lower IQ, in children exposed in the womb and during early development. About 8 percent of U.S. women of childbearing age are at risk from mercury pollution. In addition to mercury, coal plants produce toxic wastes, including arsenic, chromium, and cadmium can contaminate drinking water supplies and damage vital human organs and the nervous system.The Sierra Club released a comprehensive interactive map of the approximately 500 existing U.S. coal-fired power plants that outlines a roadmap for moving America beyond coal. Coal-burning power plants are the major source of mercury pollution, a neurotoxin especially harmful to children and developing fetuses. Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of mercury air pollution, accounting for roughly 40 percent of all mercury emissions nationwide. Much of the mercury stays airborne for two years and spreads around the globe.
This past March, the EPA proposed first-ever national standards for mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollution from power plants. The new standards could prevent as many as 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks, 120,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms, and 11,000 cases of acute bronchitis among children each year; avert more than 12,000 emergency room visits and hospital admissions annually; and lead to 850,000 fewer days of work missed due to health problems. EPA estimates that for every dollar spent to reduce power plant pollution, the American public and American businesses will see up to $13 in health and economic benefits. The total health and economic benefits of this new standard are estimated to be as much as $140 billion annually. A recent report from a team of Harvard Medical School researchers calculated the “hidden cost of coal” in the range of $175 billion to $523 billion per year.
The EPA will be holding three public hearings on the proposed regulations several weeks from now on May 24 (Chicago and Philadelphia) and May 26 (Atlanta). To pre-register to speak at the hearings, please contact Ms. Pamela Garrett at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
