Ten
years after the disaster at a Tennessee power plant, the cleanup crew is
seeking justice. At the same time, the Trump administration is weakening
protections for this toxic pollution.�� Austyn Gaffney�� https://www.nrdc.org/stories/hundreds-workers-who-cleaned-countrys-worst-coal-ash-spill-are-now-sick-and-dying
https://earthjustice.org/blog/2018-august/indiana-at-a-crossroads-on-coal-ash;
Millions
of Tons of Toxic Coal Ash Are Stored at U.S. Coal Plants
When coal is burned at any of America�s more than 350 coal-fired power plants, it leaves behind waste called coal combustion residuals, commonly referred to as ash. In 2016, coal plants produced 107 million tons of ash, of which nearly half was left over as waste. Coal ash is often mixed with water and stored on site in an ash pit. When it spills, this liquid coal ash slurry can smother landscapes and contaminate waterways with toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mer- cury and selenium.
https://environmentamerica.org/sites/environment/files/AccidentsFactsheet-CoalAsh.pdf ;
What is Coal Ash & why is
it dangerous?�
Coal
ash from coal power plants contains arsenic, lead, mercury,
and selenium, as well as aluminum, barium, boron, and chlorine. The EPA
estimates that 140 million tons of coal ash are generated
annually. Arsenic is one of the most common, and most dangerous,
pollutants from coal ash. The EPA also found that living near ash ponds
increases the risk of damage from mercury, cadmium, lead, and other toxic
metals. Workers increase their risk of harmful side effects when they
inhale the smallest coal ash dust particles. The smaller the coal ash dust
particle, the deeper the particle will be inhaled into the lungs. As a result,
the toxic particles
can inflame the lungs causing severe damage to the body.
Before coal is
burned, it has trace amounts of the radioactive elements uranium and thorium. After becoming fly ash,
the levels of these elements grow to ten times their original potency. This
becomes a real problem for the areas around coal power plants.
When coal
burns in power plants to create energy, the waste that is left is called fly
ash. This fly ash is the really bad stuff. Before coal is burned, it has trace
amounts of the radioactive elements uranium and
thorium. After becoming fly ash, the levels of these elements grow to ten times
their original potency. This becomes a real problem for the areas around coal
power plants. The fly ash leaches into the soil and water around the plants,
which then affects the crops. According to one study, when all of a community's
food was grown in a coal plant area, radiation doses were 50 to 200 percent
higher than those near nuclear plants
https://curiosity.com/topics/coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste-curiosity/
Oct 24, 2016
�https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/us/coal-ash-spill-dam-breach.html
The
Hazards of Coal Ash
People
living within one mile of unlined coal ash ponds can have a 1
in 50 risk of cancer�more than 2,000 times higher than what the EPA considers
acceptable. Coal ash contains arsenic, lead, mercury, and selenium, as well as
aluminum, barium, boron, and
chlorine. All can be toxic. Coal ash contains many toxic substances that can negatively impact the
human body. Employees working in coal-fired power plants or near coal ash waste sites are at major risk of inhaling coal
ash dust. ... As a result, the toxic
particles can inflame the lungs causing severe damage to the body.�
Lead: The exposure of lead in coal ash can cause major damage to the nervous system.
Lead exposure can lead to kidney disease, hearing impairment, high blood
pressure, delays in development, swelling of the brain, hemoglobin damage, and
male reproductive problems.
https://www.psr.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/coal-ash-hazardous-to-human-health.pdf;
Health effects of coal ash � Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_coal_ash
Coal combustion residuals, commonly known as
coal ash, are created when coal is burned by power plants to produce electricity.
Coal ash is one of the largest types of industrial waste generated in the
United States. In 2012, 470 coal-fired electric utilities generated about 110
million tons of coal ash. (U.S. EPA)
https://earthjustice.org/blog/2018-august/indiana-at-a-crossroads-on-coal-ash;
Millions
of Tons of Toxic Coal Ash Are Stored at U.S. Coal Plants
When coal is burned at any of America�s more than 350 coal-fired power plants, it leaves behind waste called coal combustion residuals, commonly referred to as ash. In 2016, coal plants produced 107 million tons of ash, of which nearly half was left over as waste. Coal ash is often mixed with water and stored on site in an ash pit. When it spills, this liquid coal ash slurry can smother landscapes and contaminate waterways with toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mer- cury and selenium.
https://environmentamerica.org/sites/environment/files/AccidentsFactsheet-CoalAsh.pdf ;
What is Coal Ash & why is it dangerous?�� https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/us/coal-ash-spill-dam-breach.html
The
Hazards of Coal Ash
People living within one mile of unlined coal ash ponds can have a 1 in 50 risk of cancer�more than 2,000 times higher than what the EPA considers acceptable. Coal ash contains arsenic, lead, mercury, and selenium, as well as aluminum, barium, boron, and chlorine. All can be toxic. Coal ash contains many toxic substances that can negatively impact the human body. Employees working in coal-fired power plants or near coal ash waste sites are at major risk of inhaling coal ash dust. ... As a result, the toxic particles can inflame the lungs causing severe damage to the body.
Health effects of coal ash � Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_coal_ash
Coal combustion residuals, commonly known as
coal ash, are created when coal is burned by power plants to produce electricity.
Coal ash is one of the largest types of industrial waste generated in the
United States. In 2012, 470 coal-fired electric utilities generated about 110
million tons of coal ash. (U.S. EPA)
