Since 1998, the electric industry has been required to report the amount of pollution released. In 1998, electricity generation released 1.1 billion pounds of pollutants. For more information, please see the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory website and public reports. Below is a summary of each electricity generation pollutant and its effects. Click here for a chart of the pollutants caused by electricity generation and their health effects.
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
Sulfure dioxide is an invisible, pungent, toxic gas that causes the formation of particulate pollution, and acid rain. Three-quarters of all sulfur dioxide emissions in the US are from electric utilities. Even a brief exposure to relatively low levels of SO2 can cause an asthma attack. Asthmatics, and children in particular, are highly vulnerable to sulfur dioxide.
Health effects of exposure to sulfur dioxide:
• causes respiratory irritation
• swelling of the airways
• harms lung tissues
• can induce bronchial constriction in asthmatics
• impairs breathing
Ozone (O3)
Ozone in the upper atmosphere occurs naturally and serves as a barrier against the harmful effects of the sun's radiation. Ozone close to the earth's surface is the primary element in smog. Ozone is especially dangerous for children, the elderly, and the ill. It causes over 1.5 million cases per year of significant respiratory problems in children and adults.(14) A recent Harvard study reported that emergency room visits and hospitalizations for respiratory problems doubled on days with high ozone levels.(12)
Short-term Health Effects of Ozone:
• lung irritation and inflammation
• minor eye irritation
• coughing
• nasal congestion
• limited lung capacity and athletic performance
• pain upon inhalation and chest tightness
• exacerbation of respiratory diseases such as asthma and emphysema
• suppressed immune system and increased sensitivity to allergens
Long-term Health Effects of Ozone:
• lung cancer
• increased susceptibility to respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia
• tissue and structural lung damage and premature lung aging
• chronic lung disease
Particulates
Particulates are microscopic particles made of ash (heavy metals, radioactive isotopes, hydrocarbons, sulfates, and nitrates) ranging in size from 1 to 100 microns. Particulates can be deposited hundreds of miles from their source, transporting trace metals (lead, cadmium, zinc, arsenic).(7) One-third of all particulate pollution in the US is from electric utilities. Children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing heart and lung problems are at the greatest risk.
Approximately 64,000 people in the U.S. die prematurely each year due to particulate air pollution, more than car accidents or AIDS.(8, 9) 15,000 of these deaths are due to emissions from electricity generation stations.(5) Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of emissions of fine particles (less than 2.5 microns in diameter) and its precursors.(11) Fine particulates can shorten life by up to 6 years.(14) Exposure to particulate air pollution can increase the risk of early death by as much as 26%, and people face this risk in almost every US metropolitan area.(6, 11) Particulates are a chief cause of smog.
Health Effects Associated with Particulates:
• lung damage and reduced lung function
• hospital admissions for asthma and bronchitis
• exacerbation of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease
• runny or stuffy noses
• sinusitis
• sore throat
• cough and phlegm
• head colds
• hay fever
• burning or red eyes
• wheezing
• shortness of breath
• can cause bronchitis
Long-term, repeated exposure can cause:
• premature death
• cancer
• an increase in hospitalizations for respiratory and cardiac disease
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas. Carbon monoxide bonds to hemoglobin, blocking the bloods ability to carry oxygen. High concentrations and/or long exposures can be fatal. One-third of all carbon monoxide emissions in the US are from electric utilities.
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
Nitrogen oxides are formed during hydrocarbon fuel combustion when nitrogen from the air combines with oxygen. Nitrogen oxides can cause respiratory illness and lung damage. They are associated with colds that settle in the chest, chronic wheezing and coughing, bronchitis, chest cough with phlegm, and episodes of respiratory illness. Nitrogen dioxide has been shown to cause pulmonary disease in animals. It is also thought to increase susceptibility to respiratory infections and to lower respiratory tract illnesses. One-third of all nitrogen oxide emissions in the US are from electric utilities.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Carbon Dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas which causes global warming. Global warming can lead to the spread of infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and schistosomiasis. It can also aggravate air quality problems, which will increase the health effects of the other air pollutants previously described.
The New York Times recently reported that global temperature records were broken in each of the first five months of 1998. The global climate has been stable for 10,000 years, and the global average temperature has changed by less than one degree Celsius during that time.(31) It is predicted that the average temperature will rise by 2-6 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the next century.(15) One-third of all carbon dioxide emissions in the US are from electric utilities.
Mercury (Hg)
Mercury is a toxic, heavy metal which can circulate in the air for up to one year, and can be transported thousands of miles from its source and eventually deposited in water where it moves up the food chain into fish, and eventually humans and animals that eat the fish.(18) Mercury is especially dangerous to fetuses and young children.(10) Mercury is stored in the fat cells of fish and humans and is therefore released when humans eat fish or when mothers are nursing.
The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission Health Advisory states that "affected fish species caught in contaminated water systems should not be eaten more than once per week by adults and not more than once per month by pregnant women, nursing mothers, women who intend to have children, and children under 15 years of age." Many waterways in the US contain high levels of mercury in the sediment, fish population and water columns, particularly waterways near industrial and urban centers. Fish from these areas should never be eaten.
Massachusetts has a statewide health advisory cautioning pregnant women of the possible health risk from eating fish from Massachusetts freshwater bodies.(21) "37 states have issued 'advisory warnings of possible mercury contamination in freshwater fish."(22) Maine has fish consumption advisories on all its inland rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. (23) In 1996, 47 states had advisories to limit or avoid fish consumption. Only Alaska, South Dakota and Wyoming did not.(24) One-quarter of all mercury pollution in the US is from electric utilities.
Exposure to Mercury may cause:
• blurred vision
• loss of hearing
• slurred speech
• numbness in the arms and legs
• kidney failure
• development effects in fetuses or young children
• loss of motor skills
Mercury damages the:
• brain
• central nervous system
• digestive system
• liver
• kidneys
• pancreas
• immune system
Radioactive Waste
Radioactive elements have unstable nuclei that spontaneously release energy, in a process known as radioactive decay. One-half of all radioactive waste in the US is from nuclear electric plants.
Health Effects of Radioactive Waste
• Low-dose, extended exposures are known to cause cancer
• sterility
Radiation may cause:
• immune system damage
• leukemia
• miscarriages
• stillbirths
• deformities
• genetic mutations
• High-doses may cause death
References
1 "Latest Version of Green Energy Public Education Materials" (Ogilvy Public Relations binder)
2 Environmental Costs of Electricity, Pace University Center for Environmental Legal Studies, 1991
3 Particles in Our Air: Concentrations and Health Effects, Wilson & Spengler, 1996
4 Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
5 Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
6 "Microscopic soot shortens many lives", Alex Barnum, SF Chronicle, May 9, 1996
7 Energy System Emissions and Materiel Requirements, Prepared for the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy by Meridian Corp., Feb.1989
8 Our Children at Risk, Natural Resources Defense Council.
9 Power Plant Emissions in Pennsylvania, Clean Air Council.
10 "Breath-taking: Premature Mortality Due to Particulate Air Pollution in 239 American Cities", Sphrentz, Natural Resources Defense Council.
11 CEERT
12 "Major Air Pollutants", American Lung Association
13 Dying Needlessly: Sickness and Death Due to Energy-Related Air Pollution, Curtis A. Moore, Feb. 1997
14 "Global Warming Issue Brief," Natural Resource Defense Council
15 "Global Warming: Myth vs. Fact", Environmental Defense Fund.
16 The Portland Press Herald
17 "Utility Report to Congress Executive Summary" EPA
18 Coastal Post, May 1, 1998, Vol.23, No.5
19 Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission Health Advisories
20 Fish Mercury Distribution in Massachusetts Lakes," Massachusetts Department of Environmental protection
21 Our Planet Earth
22 "1997 Fish Consumption Advisories due to Mercury and PCBs Announced", Main Department of Human Services
23 "Fish Contamination Advisories Rise", Natural Resource Defense Council
24 "A Background Briefing on Radioactive Pollution", The Nuclear Guardianship Library
25 "No Immediate Danger: Prognosis for a Radioactive Earth", Ratical
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