The United States is undergoing a change in the power generation industry. While clean energy resources such as wind, hydroelectric, and solar remain only a small part of the current power supply, they will have an increasing share in the coming decades. The big changes at this time are coming in the number of coal-fired plants closing and the number of new gas-fired power plants opening.
For years, coal-fired power plants have generated the majority of the electricity this country needed. The cost of coal as a fuel has always been quite low, and the availability of the supply is abundant. Coal-fired power plants are called the dirtiest way to make electricity because of the large amounts of chemical emissions and particulate matter the plants put out through the smokestacks. The communities that the power plants were located in usually had very little say in pollution control. Many plants were located in poorer communities that were happy to have the jobs these plants brought to town. Accepting the fact that coal-fired power plants continuously blanketed their towns and neighborhoods in dust and soot was a way of life for many people. These dirty burning coal plants are closing, not because they have become more expensive to run. Rather, gas-powered ones have become that much cheaper due to the fracking boom and the immediate supply of natural gas.
The era of the coal-fired power plant is slowly winding down. The closing of these plants can’t come soon enough for many people. Fortunately for thousands of people, almost half the existing plants may be closed and phased out over the next 10-20 years, possibly even sooner, depending on how the industry handles the transition. At the time this was written in May 2020, oil and gas prices are at the lowest levels they have been in decades. Perhaps that may hasten the closings of these pants even faster.
In 2018, there were 336 coal-fired power plants still operating. That is significantly down from the 598 that were running back in 2008. Still, the amount of pollution they produce is significant. According to the federal government statistics for all types of power plants, the amount of pollution generated from coal-fired power plants is measured in the millions of tons for some of the chemicals emitted.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA.gov), carbon dioxide emissions alone from only coal-fired power plants was 1.15 million metric tons in 2018. That accounts for 65% of all the emissions from power plants. Considering the fact coal-fired power plants only accounted for 23.5% of all the power generated, that is an enormous amount of pollution compared to the small percentage of the power it created.
There are quite a few hazards people living near these power plants are subjected to everyday. Over time, the continued exposure to high levels of air pollution that they breathe, including chemicals and toxic metals from the exhaust, takes a toll on the body and health. It is impossible not to be affected by the assault of these toxic emissions just wearing down the immune system and respiratory system day after day.
Tons of chemicals are emitted every single day into the air near the plant. In addition, poisons from the irresponsible disposal of the waste products left after the coal was burned contaminates and poisons many communities’ water supplies. A closer look at the risks from these monstrosities will show areas people living near still operating, or even closed, coal-fired power plants should be aware of.
The amount of pollution and the specific chemicals and metals that coal-fired power plants emit make living near these plants a hazard. There is no dispute over that fact. The emissions cause a very wide range of potential negative health effects. Out of 187 air pollutants hazardous to health, coal-fired power plants are known to emit 84. According to the National Toxicology Register, many of these may cause cancer.
The hazardous air pollution emitted by coal-fired power plants is responsible for a wide range of heart and lung diseases. Other hazardous pollutants attack the nervous and respiratory systems. Kidney issues are also associated with these emissions as are some memory, learning, and behavioral issues in children.
While it would be tiresome to go over all 84 of the pollutants released into the air by coal-fired power plants, it’s important to know some of the most prominent ones and their potential hazards.
Nitrogen oxide visibly hangs like a fog in the air around communities near power plants. When inhaled, the particle irritates the linings of the lungs and inflames them. It causes the worsening of asthma symptoms in people already having a difficult time. Chronic respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and influenza are more likely. Power plants as a whole emitted 1.02 million tons of nitrogen oxide in 2018.
This gas is created when sulfur reacts with oxygen in the combustion chamber. It then goes on to combine with other chemical elements, creating tiny and highly acidic particles able to get inside our lungs. Bronchitis and asthma are just a couple of the diseases caused by breathing in this chemical. Over 1.26 million tons were emitted by all power plants in 2018.
High concentrations of carbon monoxide such as those typically found near coal power plants are known to cause headaches in many people. It also places a lot of stress on the heart, particularly with people who already have heart issues. Over 1.15 million tons of carbon monoxide were released by these plants in 2018.
Coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of mercury pollution in the country. For the year 2015, the EPA said coal-fired power plants were responsible for half of all the mercury emissions in the country. Mercury is a heavy metal that is very toxic. It does not get destroyed when burned in a power plant but does get emitted into the exhaust emissions or into the toxic coal ash. While better pollution control devices have been installed at many coal-fired power plants, the quantity of mercury still being emitted continues to put people nearby at risk.
Exposure to mercury is linked to issues with the neurological system and developmental problems. Simply put, exposure to even tiny amounts of mercury can lead to brain damage and birth defects in unborn children. According to the EPA, just 1/70th of a single teaspoon of mercury would contaminate a 25 acre lake so badly the fish all would contain too much mercury to eat. In the year 2014, EPA records show that coal-fired power plants emitted 45,676 pounds of mercury into the air.
This chemical is also frequently found in power plant emissions in high enough quantities to be a concern to surrounding areas. It is extremely toxic, and as few as 50 parts per billion is enough to cause cancer. Power plants pumped 77,108 pounds into the air in 2014.
One of the most highly toxic heavy metals found in significant amounts in plant emissions is lead. There were more than 41 tons of lead emitted in 2014 alone. Like mercury, it only takes a tiny amount to cause harm to people’s brains, especially those of young children, which then affects their development. Lead affects the nervous system, decreases kidney function, hampers the immune system, and can lead to cardiovascular issues in adults.
According to the EPA, coal-fired power plants emit between 20-60% of all the toxic metals emitted by industry in the U.S. Even small amounts of some metals such as cadmium have large effects on the body and organs. Continuous, low-level exposure can lead to cardiovascular disease and the early onset of dementia. Almost 10,000 pounds of cadmium was emitted in a single year by these plants. Thallium is another heavy metal frequently found in coal-fired power plant emissions, affecting the nervous system, heart, liver and lungs. While there are technologies available to further reduce some of the emissions, the industry has been slow to add them.
Much of the coal burned contains some amount of radioactive isotopes. This is not a huge issue, but certainly an area of concern. When burned in the power plant, emissions contain uranium, thorium, and other radioactive elements that are then released into the atmosphere in concentrated forms. The amount is not negligible; over time and continued exposure, there is enough to accumulate in the bodies of people living nearby. The radioactive elements stay in the body and cause damage to the cells they attack, gradually causing the cells to mutate.
This is one of the largest single causes of health issues connected to coal-fired power plants. Particulate matter is simply small particles that contain a variety of substances, sometimes also called soot. This is the dirty coating that accumulates on cars and other surface areas in coal plant communities. The particles vary in sizes, and the smaller the particle, the more dangerous it is. When inhaled, the smallest ones get trapped in the lungs and are unable to be exhaled. They attach to the tiny air sacs, and some end up traveling into the body through the bloodstream and affect the organs. Some of the known effects of continued exposure are severe asthma, chronic bronchitis, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular issues. Particulate matter in the lungs makes the body work much harder to compensate for the reduced air flow, putting extra strain on several critical body systems. Tons of this particulate matter are emitted by coal-fired plants everyday.
Power plants generate a toxic product so hazardous it is considered one of the greatest threats to people and the environment. This threat is doubly hazardous due to the quantities of coal ash being generated, which is measured in the millions of tons annually. The toxicity of the ash is almost like the contents of a hazardous waste dump itself. This pollutant is so toxic that it gets its own chapter later in this section, but we included coal ash in this chapter to ensure our readers understand the threat it presents. Coal ash has been disposed of in thousands of unlined dumps over decades and threatens many communities across the country everyday.
Even though a coal plant closes and is no longer actively releasing hazardous materials into the air, the threats posed by coal-fired plants don’t end there. There are the hazards that remain. Even after these coal plants are closed decades from now, there are still other legacies of their days that will live on possibly for hundreds of years.
The single biggest issue threatening the quality of water in the country today is coal ash disposal.
Coal ash is the hazardous waste that remains after the coal has been burned. It is the ash from the bottom of the plant’s furnaces as well as the ash caught in the pollution control devices if the plant has any. The amount produced annually is well over 100 million tons, and the amount stored in various places over the years is in the billions of tons.
A report compiled by the Environmental Integrity Project using data submitted by the power plants themselves detailed the extent to which toxic coal ash has contaminated the groundwater near these plants. It shows over nine in ten already have polluted the groundwater with unsafe levels of pollutants from a wide range of toxic and hazardous chemicals leached from the fly ash disposal.
The data showed the groundwater of 242 power plants out of the 265 that sent in reports for review had at least one pollutant found in coal ash in unsafe levels. More than half of the 242 had unsafe levels of arsenic, which is linked to cancer and is very toxic in even small amounts. Lithium, a metal usually associated with batteries, was found in high levels at 60% of the plants’ groundwater. Neurological damage is associated with lithium exposure.
Many communities are already reaping the ill effects of coal ash contamination in their water.
In Memphis, Tennessee, a dump used for coal ash disposal for years is leaking toxic chemicals into the groundwater. Arsenic, among other pollutants, has been found in tests of the aquifer underneath the plant, an aquifer that is used as a drinking water supply for over 650,000 people in the community. There is no known way to prevent the current contamination from moving into the water needed for drinking. The town plans to clean up the site, but it may be too late since the leaking has been going on for decades.
In Belmont, North Carolina, letters were sent to residents advising them the wells they were using were contaminated. Tests showed high levels of several pollutants, including chromium-6, exposure to which can cause kidney and liver damage, pulmonary issues and cancer. The water was unsafe to drink or use for cooking, and over 900 homes affected had to rely on using bottled water.
Every power plant in the state of Texas has contaminated the groundwater according to documents the companies submitted to the government that were reviewed by the Environmental Integrity Project. Toxic chemicals have contaminated the groundwater near the plants with lithium, cobalt, arsenic, chromium, boron, manganese and beryllium. One family ranch near a power plant has water contaminated with 12 different chemicals, some at levels 100 times the safe level set by the EPA. People across the state are exposed to health effects such as kidney and bone damage, as well as a variety of cancers.
The most important way to combat potential water contamination is to routinely test your water for any pollutants (If you are using well water, an annual test should be done no matter where you live). If unsafe levels of pollutants are found, you should call the local or state health department. They can offer advice on how to reduce the levels using a filter to limit any exposure. The last alternative would be to use bottled water instead for drinking and cooking. Bathing may release chemicals into the air, which you would then breath, so this presents another problem.
Regardless where you get your water from, don’t just rely on tests performed by local authorities. Public water systems and private wells are increasingly being contaminated from nearby coal ash disposal sites. There have been many cases where the public water was supplied to customers for years before tests revealed it had been polluted the whole time. Doing a test of your water on your own may determine there is an existing problem needing action on a higher level.
There are thousands of people living near power plants that have been polluting the local community’s water supply for many years. The extent of the widespread problem continues to grow like the plume of poisons spreading from the coal ash leaking into the water below. It is only going to get worse. More communities are finding their water supplies polluted. Too many communities are facing situations without many solutions to solve this problem.
Sadly, it falls on the individual to keep their own water safe. The government is doing way too little way too late. They knew this was a major threat to the water supply but allowed the sloppy disposal of coal ash to continue.
As a whole, no matter where, you should avoid being in an area within five miles from one of these power plants. Even the ones that have already been closed down or are scheduled to be closed down have coal ash disposal areas nearby. The question is not if they will leak, but when. Based on the lack of any real structural requirements for these disposal areas, they most likely already are.