Tuesday, December 01, 2009
(photos: United Mine Workers of America)
There’s no denying the importance of coal to the nation’s energy supply, providing nearly half of the electricity used by Americans. But a group of medical researchers has decided to make clear the price that the human body pays for the U.S. relying so heavily on coal for power.
According to a new report from the Physicians for Social Responsibility, coal is a killer on the heart, brain and lungs of people living in areas where coal is either mined or burned at power plants. When it’s thrown into furnaces, coal releases mercury, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and dozens of other substances that are hazardous to human health. Coal-related pollutants can contribute to respiratory problems like asthma, lung disease and lung cancer, and can disrupt normal lung development in children. Arteries can clog from coal pollution, and strokes can be caused by it as well, researchers found.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Report Details 'Coal's Assault on Human Health' (by Ken Ward Jr., Charleston Gazette)
Coal's Assault on Human Health (Physicians for Social Responsibility)
Executive Summary: Coal's Assault on Human Health (Physicians for Social Responsibility) (PDF)
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