Table3 presents the adjusted associations between proximity to power plants and term LBW, PTD, and VPTD by nearest power plant type. After an examination into the Kleen Energy explosion that killed six workers last month, a U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigator expresses concerns over one of the industry's standard practices. R Halonen LA SA JM The photo to the right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the explosion on February 7th. For term LBW, only those living between 10 and 20 km away from any power plant had increased odds. WebFar safer than living near a coal burning plant or downstream from a major dam. See the health effects of ozoneand particulate matter pollution. Researchers from this study found no evidence of risk of childhood cancer for families living 164 feet or more from power lines. Uranium fuel, nuclear reactors, generation, spent fuel. Natural gas provides a cost-effective option for The power sector has significantly reduced many of these pollutants over the past two decades, but important health and environmental concerns persist. Come test out some of the products still in development and let us know what you think! This practice, although In short, NOx is bad news for human health. Because of the use of proximity and the unavailability of specific pollutant data from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Hierarchical Bayesian Prediction Model, we were unable to disentangle the specific pollutant. We chose first trimester because 1) first trimester exposure to PM2.5 has a strong association with adverse birth outcomes (26), and 2) it ensures that the time over which PM2.5 is averaged is similar for cases and controls. Minority, low-income, and indigenous populations frequently bear a disproportionate burden of environmental harms and adverse health outcomes, including the development of heart or lung diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis, increased susceptibility to respiratory and cardiac symptoms, greater numbers of emergency room visits and hospital admissions, and premature deaths. Not only does NOx cause respiratory problems, but NOx also reacts with other substances in the air to produce particulate matter and ozone. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Abbreviations: aOR, adjusted odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; LBW, low birth weight; OR, odds ratio; PTD, preterm delivery; VPTD, very preterm delivery. The final reason to be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants is that it may get worse in the coming years. Text "SCIENCE" to 67369 or sign up online. Morara JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. Zeitlin we equip you to harness the power of disruptive innovation, at work and at home. Buonocore Nathanson Like most retrospective studies, this study has several limitations. 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. Prenatal exposure was assigned to each birth as the average daily PM2.5 concentration over the first trimester for the grid in which it falls. Two logistic regression models were used for each outcome: The first model was unadjusted, and the second model was a parsimonious model adjusted for potential confounders on the basis of our directed acyclic graph (Supplementary Data). More information about the Power Plant Retirements map can be foundhere. We use cookies to improve your experience. Lanki Testing RFID blocking cards: Do they work? Furthermore, although power plant emissions are 1 of the major point sources of air pollution (21), which has been shown to have consistent association with adverse birth outcomes (22), there is limited information on air pollution exposure and pregnant women living close to specific types of power plants. For controls, we used eligible births that had none of the 3 outcomes we assessed. D Some women may spend most of their time outside their residential home; therefore, their exposure may be different from that estimated. T EH Bremner S Seigneur Graphs below summarize the key demographics ofcommunities within three miles ofpower plants. These keydemographicsand information about nearby power plants may help identify a community's potential vulnerability to environmental concerns. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. Wiesel State Disclosures, Senior Advocate, Dirty Energy, Lands Division, Nature Program. T The following map identifies thelocations of power plants and highlights the key demographics of people living within threemiles of those plants. [33] compared two polygeneration systems, which use natural gas and coal to produce DME and power, using a comprehensive sustainability assessment methodology. Petroeschevsky J We obtained the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the increase in odds of having adverse birth outcomes for each 5 km closer to any power plant. We used logistic regression models to investigate the association between proximity to a power plant and the adverse birth outcomes. J ommunities with a people of color percentage greater than the national average and a low-income percentage less than the national average. Natural gas is stored in large volumes in underground facilities and in smaller volumes in tanks above or below ground. Lee The type of nearest power plant was also identified by fuel type. 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." Reports requested by congress or otherwise deemed important. D The fact of the matter is that natural gas power plants still produce a significant amount of air pollution, and thats a problem. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, power plants release toxic chemicals into the air including mercury, heavy metals, and acid gases, all of which are known to be deleterious to human health, especially that of the unborn fetus (15). Reserves, production, prices, employment and productivity, distribution, stocks, imports and exports. D In categorical exposure analyses, no association was found. 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. Biodiesel, renewable diesel, and other biofuels, U.S. S When hydrogen is added to the natural gas fuel mix, the carbon emissions fall even more. Short, timely articles with graphics on energy, facts, issues, and trends. As close as you want, just not very close to the plant. The power company owns that land, they dont want people there for security reasons. J The color of the marker indicates fuel type and the marker size represents projected retired nameplate capacity (MW). J Gas blows are routine practice within the industry. This pattern remained consistent when daily PM2.5 concentrations near different types of power plants were examined. The following are the required setbacks to minimize exposure at different distances: 100 feet for 50 to 133kV transmission line 150 feet for 220 to 230kV transmission line 350 feet for 500 to 550kV transmission line Overall, living close to solid waste, oil, and gas plants increased the odds for term LBW, PTD, and VPTD. Compared with pregnant women who lived with no power plants within a 20 km radius, women living near 2 power plants had a 7% increased odds of term LBW (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.12), 12% increased odds of PTD (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.15), and 17% increased odds of VPTD (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.25). Zhang Workers might also use air, steam, nitrogen, or water *in lieu of natural gas. More research is warranted to better understand the causal relationship. During the study period, power plants in the United States emitted an estimated annual average of 2,491,971 metric tons of carbon dioxide, 10,431 metric tons of sulfur dioxide, and 4,212 metric tons of nitric oxides (27). 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). The electric power sector is a large source of U.S. CO 2 emissions. All rights reserved. Furthermore, when studying a proposed natural gas power plant, a California Energy Commission analysis found that local one-hour concentrations of NO2 (one form of NOx) would nearly double from their background levels. Ghosh We further stratify these associations by fuel type. However, we have no reason to believe that this lack of adjustment results in differential misclassification. JD air pollution, California, clean energy, emissions, natural gas, NOx. Rajagopalan Wu This work was supported by grant K01ES019177 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (X.X.) Data from California Air Resources BoardEmissions Projection Analysis. WebDifferent countries have a different regulation regarding the measurements of where to reside from the station. Quantifying the risk For example, the fact that our study showed an increased proportion of females among the term LBW group and a decreased proportion of females among the PTD and VPTD groups confirmed previous findings. The national averages of low-income population and the people of color population are drawn as reference lines forcomparison. You can seethe percentages by hovering your cursor over the colored bars. 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. We further stratified analyses for different types of plants. In general, the concentrations of PM2.5 were highest around coal plants followed by solid waste, gas, oil, other, and nuclear plants (Figure2A). We observed a 1.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3, 2.3) increased odds for PTD, 2.2% (95% CI: 1.0, 3.4) for VPTD, and 1.1% (95% CI: 0.2, 2.0) for term LBW for each 5 km closer to any power plant. Consequently, daily activity patterns cannot entirely explain the increased risk that we found. S Hodges Where do hydrocarbon gas liquids come from? D M However, emissions from natural gas power plants are only a fraction of the emissions from stationary sources, so NOx emissions from natural gas power plants end up being roughly 1% of total NOx emissions in California. Briefly, this model uses hierarchical Bayesian methods to combine data from observed air quality data measured at air monitors, the National Emission Inventory, and meteorological and photochemical data to produce 12 12 km gridded estimates of daily average PM2.5 concentrations. et al. Wilhelm Additional layers which can be toggled on/off include power plant emissions, area demographics, and tribal areas. These findings are consistent with the fact that coal and solid waste power plants produce relatively larger amounts of particulate emissions compared with other types of power plants. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Still, being aware of the characteristics of communities closest to power plants is a starting point in understanding the potential sources of pollution that may impact a community and how changes in a power plants air emissions may affect the air quality experienced by some of those already vulnerable to environmental burdens. LA 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. In his role, he leads research and advocacy efforts in California and other Western states to advance the transition to a less polluting and less carbon-intensive energy system. C The standard 300 mm safety distance used to place natural gas pipe away from water pipeline facilities needs to be reviewed to consider accidental damage and provide safety cushion to the natural gas pipe. You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and I once had a friend asked which of two properties they should buy due to one being near high voltage lines. My answer was simple, I would buy the o et al. Which states consume and produce the most natural gas. For VPTD, only oil and solid waste plants had significant associations. To make long-term gains against infection inequity, infectious disease epidemiology needs to develop a more sociological imagination. Author affiliations: Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (Sandie Ha, Hui Hu, Xiaohui Xu); Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (Jeffrey Roth); and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China (Haidong Kan). Wang All rights reserved. Basic stages of natural gas processing and treatment. These analyses showed consistent results, suggesting that residual confounding was unlikely. Valero De Bernab The following maps and graphs highlight powerplants located in or near communities with one or more of the six key demographics at or above the 80thpercentile nationally. These mortality estimates were significantly higher for the older population. Gouveia ML The percentage of plants located in or near communitieswithan average of less than the national average is on the left side of the graph (blue). Bell Dominici Vrijheid its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. Those who were closest to nuclear plants (mean = 7.7 (SD, 1.9) g/m3) and other plants (mean = 8.5 (SD, 2.0) g/m3) were exposed to the lowest levels of PM2.5 (Figure2B; Supplementary Data). Quadrant A shows power plants located in or near communities with a low-income percentage greater than the national average and less than the people of color national average. et al. The following sections are presented below: There are over 3,400 fossil fuel-fired power plants in the United States. KO Table1 shows participants' characteristics by term LBW, PTD, and VPTD. The association between adverse birth outcomes and total number of power plants within 20 km was determined. Y Crude oil, gasoline, heating oil, diesel, propane, and other liquids including biofuels and natural gas liquids. You may have heard that natural gas is clean. Compared to coal, natural gas produces less global warming emissions and air pollution. Rabczenko AD et al. These pollutants have been linked to adverse birth outcomes in many studies. NOXandSO2emissions contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone and fine PM, which can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular problems, and exposure to mercury can increase the possibility ofhealthissues ranging from cancer to immune system damage. Given that power plants are major sources of particulate matter, the present results are consistent with those of our recent study, which found that prenatal PM2.5 exposure was positively associated with LBW, PTD, and VPTD (23). 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