Caton We further stratified analyses for different types of plants. However, studies on residential mobility and its effects on air pollution assessment suggest a very low degree of misclassification (42, 43). and a University of Florida Graduate School fellowship (S.H.). In short, NOx is bad news for human health. A Figure2A and 2B illustrate PM2.5 exposure by types of power plants. Reserves, production, prices, employment and productivity, distribution, stocks, imports and exports. A Delivering natural gas from natural gas and oil wells to consumers requires many infrastructure assets and processing steps and several physical transfers of custody. Martinez All active power plants during the study period and eligible births were geocoded and mapped using ArcGIS V10.1 (ESRI, Redlands, California). H Second, we use PM2.5 as a surrogate for pollution from power plants to determine 1) the level of pollution exposure during pregnancy for women living close to power plants and 2) whether the amount of pollution depends on fuel type. S et al. A detailed description of this method was reported elsewhere (23). et al. Some of the highest-polluting natural gas power plants emit over 100 tons of NOx per year, which is roughly equivalent to the NOx emissions from traveling 11 million et al. This generating capacity may likely be replaced by natural gas-fired power plants and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. In addition to the data presented in these maps and graphs, a To help answer questions about environmental justice in the communities around power plants, information on the following six key demographics (e.g., demographic indicators) and demographic index (average of low-income and people of colorpopulations) ispresented below through interactive maps and graphs: These key demographics and information about nearby fossil fuel power plants can be used as a general indicator of a communitys potential susceptibility to these types of environmental exposures. ML Can living near a nuclear power plant cause cancer? Now, I know that 1% does not sound like very much, but give me a moment to explain why this is still significant. et al. Burning natural gas for energy results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO 2) than burning coal or petroleum products to produce an equal amount of energy. When considering whether a property is eligible for an FHA-insured loan, HUD requires that "a site be rejected if the property being appraised is subject to hazards, environmental contaminants, noxious odors, offensive sights or excessive noises to the point of endangering the physical improvements or affecting the livability of the property, its marketability or the health and safety of its occupants." Given the high emission of sulfur dioxide and nitric oxides from power plants and the positive association between these pollutants and adverse birth outcomes, it is plausible that proximity to power plants was associated with adverse birth outcomes. Hodges Given that PM2.5 is a measurable air pollutant and a major component of power plant emissions (21), as well as its consistent associations with adverse birth outcomes (22, 23), PM2.5 can serve as a good indicator for air pollution from power plants. We were unable to perform analyses for more refined proximity categories because of low sample size for certain cells. 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge MA 02138, USA, produces less global warming emissions and air pollution, projections from the California Air Resources Board, concentrated in some of the most socioeconomically and environmentally disadvantaged communities. Msg & data rates may apply. The final reason to be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants is that it may get worse in the coming years. Thanks to the Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project (NEOGAP) for this information. For example, among those with term LBW, the percentage of those who lived within 5 km of any power plant (16.1%) was higher than that of controls (14.9%). Search for other works by this author on: Particulate matter air pollution and cardiovascular disease: an update to the scientific statement from the American Heart Association, Outdoor air pollution and respiratory health in patients with COPD, A systematic review of air pollution and incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, Fine particulate air pollution and hospital admission for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, Urban air pollution, and asthma and COPD hospital emergency room visits, Acute and subacute effects of urban air pollution on cardiopulmonary emergencies and mortality: time series studies in Austrian cities, Multicity study of air pollution and mortality in Latin America (the ESCALA study), The short-term effects of air pollution on daily mortality in four Australian cities, Estimating the national public health burden associated with exposure to ambient PM, Ambient air pollution, birth weight and preterm birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Ambient air pollution and risk of congenital anomalies: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Ambient air pollution and hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, Ambient air pollution and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Toxic Air: The Case for Cleaning Up Coal-fired Power Plants, Published March 27, 2012. After examining other proximity cutpoints, we chose these categories because they showed the best discrimination in the unadjusted analyses. Lee its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. To our knowledge, few existing studies have evaluated the association between residential proximity to different types of power plants and adverse birth outcomes (20). More research is warranted to better understand the causal relationship. Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; LBW, low birth weight; OR, odds ratio; PM2.5, particulate matter less than 2.5 m in diameter; PTD, preterm delivery; SD, standard deviation; VPTD, very preterm delivery. In addition, we also overlaid geocoded active power plants and the 12 12 km grids to determine the daily PM2.5 concentrations near the power plants during the study period. (617) 547-5552. Chang Sign up or text "SCIENCE" to 67369. MJ Tools to customize searches, view specific data sets, study detailed documentation, and access time-series data. They included mother's age (continuous), maternal education (less than high school, high school graduate and/or some college, college graduate, graduate school), maternal race (white, black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and others), and marital status (married, unmarried). If a community is at or above the 80thpercentile nationally, it means that the community's population for a given demographic (for example, low-income) is an equal or higher percentage than where 80%of the U.S. population lives. HL Ha When you select a power plant marker, a small window displays plant data such asemissions, generation, fuel type, and key demographics for the communities within three miles of the plant. In the categorical exposure analyses, we made a fundamental assumption that each power plant has a uniform effect on participants within a certain buffer. JM Finally, the Hierarchical Bayesian Prediction Model data that we used to describe PM2.5 exposures were available at only 12 12 km resolution. These mortality estimates were significantly higher for the older population. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A blog on science, politics, and activism. L Although we chose PM2.5 to validate our exposure, power plants also emit other gaseous pollutants including carbon oxides, sulfur dioxide, and nitric oxides (41), all of which are highly correlated (30). The national average for each demographic is shown in parentheses. Reports requested by congress or otherwise deemed important. T These steps and processes may be integrated into one unit or operation, be performed in a different order or at alternative locations (such as a (lease separator, field facilities, or natural gas processing plants), or not be required at all. Rabczenko These Experts Are Racing to Protect AI From Hackers. . The following sections are presented below: There are over 3,400 fossil fuel-fired power plants in the United States. Coal is responsible for over 800,000 premature deaths per year globally and many millions more serious and minor illnesses. air pollution, California, clean energy, emissions, natural gas, NOx. The photo to the right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the explosion on February 7th. Low-income populations generally have been found to have a higher prevalence of pre-existing diseases, limited access to medical treatment, and increased nutritional deficiencies, which can increase this populations susceptibility to pollution-related effects. et al. R D The main outcomes of interest in this study include the terms LBW, PTD, and VPTD, all of which were assessed through Florida Vital Records data. All rights reserved. Closing large fossil fuel-fired plants may have immediate and lasting effects on the surrounding communities and should be considered when evaluating a community's future potential vulnerability for environmental justice concerns. Initial calculations conducted by the USB determined that about 400,000 standard cubic feet of natural gas had been released into the atmosphere within the 10 minutes prior to the incident. Because pollution can travel over long distances from a power plant, the impacts of both potential increases and decreases in power plant emissions can be felt many miles away, meaning that the air quality in a community can be due to far-distant sources as well as those sited within a community. Y H To ensure that clustering was not influencing our results, we performed a sensitivity analysis using the number of power plants within 20 km as exposure. While a natural gas-fired power plant emits only about half the carbon dioxide as a coal plant, thats still far from zero. These keydemographicsand information about nearby power plants may help identify a community's potential vulnerability to environmental concerns. Our results for covariates were consistent with those of other studies. A) Daily concentrations of PM2.5 during the study period 20032005 at power plants; B) mean daily PM2.5 concentration at residential address during the first trimester for births in Florida from 2004 to 2005. We were also unable to adjust for daily activities patterns. Therefore, this discrepancy is likely to bias our results toward the null. (20), who reported that the odds of PTD were 14 times higher among women who lived within 3 km of a thermal power plant compared with those who lived farther than 3 km. It is possible that socioeconomic status confounded the association that we observed in this study. This analysis yielded results consistent with proximity to power plants as a measure of exposure. Natural gas power plants emit more NOx when they are starting up; on average, they emit anywhere between three and seven times as much NOx during start-up than during one hour of full-load operation. The type of nearest power plant was also identified by fuel type. The type of nearest power plant was also identified by fuel type. Visintainer Natural gas storage during periods of low demand helps to ensure that enough natural gas is available during periods of high demand. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy Women who lived closer to coal and solid waste power plants were exposed to higher levels of particulate matter less than 2.5 m in diameter compared with other types. Ha G All types of plants had a slightly elevated association with PTD, except nuclear plants, which had a negative association (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.86, 0.95), and others and coal plants with no associations. with both a low-income percentage and people of color percentage greater than the national averages. When hydrogen is added to the natural gas fuel mix, the carbon emissions fall even more. Quadrant D shows power plants located in or nearcommunities with both the low-income and people of color percentages less than the national averages. Natural gas delivery infrastructure has three categories: Natural gas transported on the mainline natural gas transportation (pipeline) system in the United States must meet specific quality measures so that the pipeline network (or grid) provides uniform-quality natural gas. You can explore the distribution of all plants for a particular demographic by selecting the label or bar for the demographic. Spengler Bremner When stratifying by different fuel type, we found that only solid waste had an association with term LBW, whereas oil, gas, and solid waste all had an association with PTD and VPTD. According to projections from the California Air Resources Board, stationary sources account for roughly 21% of NOx emissions, while mobile sources account for a whopping 74% of NOx emission in the state. Tags: Populations found to be particularly vulnerable to environmental pollution include the poor, the elderly, the very young, those already in poor health, and/or indigenous populations. Out of all the different risks investigated thus far, an increase in natural gas price from $6/GJ to $9/GJ causes the biggest increase in the average electricity price required. Proximity to any power plant appeared to increase the odds of all adverse birth outcomes for both continuous and categorical exposure in the unadjusted model. et al. The study also found that women living near 1 or more power plants located within a 20 km radius from their residence had higher odds of adverse birth outcomes. Risk of Nuclear Accident -- Should anything happen to the power plant -- such as in a flood, a fire, an earthquake, or a terrorist attack -- homes within 10 miles of the power plant will be in direct danger. Learn more. Peng Forms EIA uses to collect energy data including descriptions, links to survey instructions, and additional information. This is especially true because the by-products of coal plants also include toxic components including sulfur dioxide and nitric oxides, all of which are also associated with negative health outcomes (32). It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide, This PDF is available to Subscribers Only. To describe prenatal exposures to PM2.5, we estimated average daily residential exposures to PM2.5 during pregnancy for each birth using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. G Like most retrospective studies, this study has several limitations. Vijayaraghavan Not only does NOx cause respiratory problems, but NOx also reacts with other substances in the air to produce particulate matter and ozone. JL et al. RD In populous cities, the percentage of deaths attributable to PM2.5 and ozone ranges from 3.5% in San Jose to 10% in Los Angeles (both in California) (9). M Table3 presents the adjusted associations between proximity to power plants and term LBW, PTD, and VPTD by nearest power plant type. T Thanks for signing up. Additionally, we were not able to identify critical windows of exposure that underlie these associations. 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