. Bronson This association remained consistent in our analyses for total number of power plants within a 20 km radius and stratified analyses for different types of power plants. In Scheme 1, the syngas that results from coal gasification was divided into two parts; one part went to the Wang Association Between Proximity to Power Plants and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Florida From 2004 to 2005. The electric power sector is a large source of U.S. CO 2 emissions. Subscribe to feeds for updates on EIA products including Today in Energy and What's New. 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. et al. BE Fig. This almost-great Raspberry Pi alternative is missing one key feature, This $75 dock turns your Mac Mini into a Mac Studio (sort of), Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus is the Goldilocks of its 2023 smartphone lineup, How the New Space Race Will Drive Innovation, How the metaverse will change the future of work and society, Digital transformation: Trends and insights for success, Software development: Emerging trends and changing roles. Ha Czeizel Accessed March 8, 2014, Combining different sources of particulate data using Bayesian space-time modeling, First trimester exposure to ambient air pollution, pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes in Allegheny County, PA, Electric power annual: emission from energy consumption at conventional power plants and combined-heat-and-power plants 20022012, Published December 12, 2013. D These pollutants are known to contribute to 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. 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. Natural gas processing can be complex and usually involves several steps to remove oil, water, HGLS, and other impurities such as sulfur, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide. 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. et al. Full understanding of safety distances is typically only achieved when it is too late to implement without significant changes. In addition, women who were closest to coal plants were exposed to the highest levels of PM2.5 (mean = 10.7 (standard deviation (SD), 2.7) g/m3) during the first trimester, followed by those living close to solid waste plants (mean = 10.1 (SD, 1.8) g/m3), gas plants (mean = 9.5 (SD, 2.1) g/m3), and oil plants (mean = 9.3 (SD, 1.8) g/m3). Delfino We used logistic regression models to investigate the association between proximity to a power plant and the adverse birth outcomes. 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. 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. Many U.S. power plants produce CO 2 emissions. Because there was evidence of spatial clustering of power plants, distance from power plants may not be the best measure of exposure. SC 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. Second, just because the electric sector is cleaner than the transportation sector does not mean the electric sector is not dirty. You can explore the distribution of all plants for a particular demographic by selecting the label or bar for the demographic. We were unable to perform analyses for more refined proximity categories because of low sample size for certain cells. The graph will update to show the number of plants in five percentileranges between zero and one hundred for the selected demographic. We use cookies to improve your experience. Do you need one? In addition, our observation that pregnant women who had a lower level of education, were racial minorities and unmarried, had no prenatal care, used tobacco, and smoked during pregnancy were more likely to be in the adverse birth outcome groups is also consistent with the literature (3840). Brumberg Some towns in Texas have setbacks of up to 1,000 feet from a home, fresh water well, school, hospital or public park. Otos KO Eshoul Explore additional graphs that show distributions of generation and emissions for each of the demographics. The mandated distance from an industrial facility to a home or other sensitive area is called a "setback." D Dong Additionally, we were not able to identify critical windows of exposure that underlie these associations. The results remained consistent when exposure was categorized (Table3). 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. Please click here to see any active alerts. Our continuous exposure analysis showed that proximity to nuclear plants was protective against PTD, but not term LBW or VPTD. On January 27, 2021, Climate Day, President Biden issued an Executive Order, entitled Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, that addresses climate change policy and environmental justice. J When the results for both analyses were compared, the conclusions were consistent, although those for categorical exposure are stronger. In short, NOx is bad news for human health. JL LA Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. 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. In the continuous exposure analyses, only solid waste plants (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.04) had an association with term LBW for each 5-km decrease in distance. et al. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is home to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Natural gas power accounts for about 20 percent of the nation's electricity. Sign up or text "SCIENCE" to 67369. The interactive map below shows recent and expected coal, natural gas, oil, and other combustion power plant retirements. For the layout of plant, prescriptive distances between equipment items are generally used, according to a tabular matrix 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge MA 02138, USA A These data are based on the US Environmental Protection Agency's Hierarchical Bayesian Prediction Model output (25). N RD Chang This practice, although The graph below compares the key demographics ofcommunities near power plants to national averages. 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. et al. SC (617) 547-5552. Now, I know that 1% does not sound like very much, but give me a moment to explain why this is still significant. Rahmani Ghosh The photo to the right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the explosion on February 7th. ommunities with a people of color percentage greater than the national average and a low-income percentage less than the national average. Weedon While a natural gas-fired power plant emits only about half the carbon dioxide as a coal plant, thats still far from zero. As paradoxical as it may sound, California may continue to achieve its global warming emissions reduction goals and increase air pollution from natural gas power plants at the same time. 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). et al. All rights reserved. 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). HS CC Coal was strongly associated with all adverse birth outcomes (Table4). For example, in Ohio the setback from a homeis 100 feetfrom awell - not even from the boundary of a wellpad - and only 75 feet for a directional well. The national averages of low-income population and the people of color population are drawn as reference lines forcomparison. You may have heard that natural gas is clean. Compared to coal, natural gas produces less global warming emissions and air pollution. RJ We also compared the odds for different buffer sizes of <5, 59.9, 1019.9, and 20 km from a power plant. WebDistance from the nearest power plants was measured in kilometers. Financial market analysis and financial data for major energy companies. EPA is committed to Environmental Justice (EJ) - the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people. After adjustment for potential confounders, the associations between proximity to power plants and adverse birth outcomes remained consistent. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy 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. FHA insures home mortgages to help Americans buy homes. Regional energy information including dashboards, maps, data, and analyses. Energy & Financial Markets: What Drives Crude Oil Prices? To describe exposures to PM2.5 during pregnancy and throughout the study period according to nearest power plants, we used scatterplots with locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) functions (smooth = 0.5) to display averaged daily concentrations during the first trimester (y-axis) by date of delivery (x-axis), as well as daily concentrations (y-axis) by date during the study period (x-axis). Ha Liu Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Overall, the percentages of people living closer to power plants were higher among those with adverse birth outcomes compared with those among controls. Tags: Our study found evidence of increasing odds of adverse birth outcomes among infants born to pregnant women living closer to power plants. Finally, the Hierarchical Bayesian Prediction Model data that we used to describe PM2.5 exposures were available at only 12 12 km resolution. The national average for each demographic is shown in parentheses. How strong is the radiation around a nuclear power plant direct outside at the containment? Pretty much the same as the natural background count. International energy information, including overviews, rankings, data, and analyses. Strmgren For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription. Data from California Air Resources BoardEmissions Projection Analysis. With coal combustion accounting for approximately 45% of electricity produced in the United States, it may pose a serious public health issue. Infrared video showing natural gas air pollution emissions at an Energy Corporation of America compressor station in Greene County, Pa., which is located about . An official website of the United States government. Zeitlin WebGangadharan et al. 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. Krewski S WebA gas-fired power plant is a type of fossil fuel power station in which chemical energy stored in natural gas, which is mainly methane, is converted successively into: thermal energy, mechanical energy and, finally, electrical energy.Although they cannot exceed the Carnot cycle limit for conversion of heat energy into useful work the excess heat may be used in Exploration and reserves, storage, imports and exports, production, prices, sales. 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. Comprehensive data summaries, comparisons, analysis, and projections integrated across all energy sources. Moshammer Many plants meet or exceed this threshold for more than one key demographic and are included in the counts of more than one demographic. However, the distance from the line is crucial in determining the damage it causes. In addition, nitric oxides have also been linked to term LBW and PTD (30, 31). Natural gas typically moves from production sites (natural gas and oil wells) through a network of small-diameter gathering pipelines to natural gas processing plants for treatment. AE To compare continuous and categorical characteristics for participants with and without the 3 adverse birth outcomes, we performed t tests and 2 tests. Queisser-Luft its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. Sandie Ha, Hui Hu, Jeffrey Roth, Haidong Kan, Xiaohui Xu, Associations Between Residential Proximity to Power Plants and Adverse Birth Outcomes, American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 182, Issue 3, 1 August 2015, Pages 215224, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwv042. JI We were also unable to adjust for daily activities patterns. 3rd This study found that women with residential proximity to coal and solid waste plants were exposed to the highest concentrations of PM2.5 during the first trimester, and those closest to nuclear plants were exposed to the lowest concentrations. In the graph below, the low-income(verticalaxis) and the people of color(horizontal axis) are plotted for the communitiesaround each U.S. fossil fuel-fired power plant. Holstrom compared the gas volume to filling a pro-basketball stadium, from floor to ceiling, with explosive gas. A Four people died last year during a gas blow at a ConAgra Slim Jim factory in North Carolina. Covariates were chosen on the basis of a directed acyclic graph (Supplementary Data available at http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/). A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Learn more. Thus, the primary purpose of this retrospective cohort study is to estimate the association between residential proximity to power plants and risk of adverse birth outcomes including term low birth weight (LBW), preterm delivery (PTD), and very preterm delivery (VPTD) among singleton births in Florida from 2004 to 2005. U.S. Many fossil fuel-fired power plants (especially coal-fired power plants) have announced plans to retire, based on data collected by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Su Roth Albaladejo M To our knowledge, few existing studies have evaluated the association between residential proximity to different types of power plants and adverse birth outcomes (20). How Much Land Would it Require to Get Most of Our Electricity from Wind and Solar? with both a low-income percentage and people of color percentage greater than the national averages. JM J These associations remained consistent for PTD and VPTD when exposures were categorized (Table2). We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide, This PDF is available to Subscribers Only. The color of the marker indicates fuel type and the marker size represents projected retired nameplate capacity (MW). Hu State energy information, including overviews, rankings, data, and analyses. H Some power plants also Manzanares H Zhu By continuing, you accept our use of cookies. et al. et al. Uranium fuel, nuclear reactors, generation, spent fuel. Roberts H 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. Includes hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and ethanol. Bremner The addresses we geocoded to determine proximity to power plants were residential addresses at birth. The main pollutants resulting from natural gas electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or NOx. J Seen here in photos before and after the accident, the 620-megawatt Kleen Energy plant had been slated to open this summer. However, women may have moved during pregnancy, leading to potential exposure misclassification. Natural gas is burned to generate electricity by passing hot pressurized gases through either a combined-cycle combustion turbine (CCCT) or simple-cycle combustion turbine (SCCT) connected to an electric generator. et al. Stieb we equip you to harness the power of disruptive innovation, at work and at home. JD But coal is just about the dirtiest way to produce electricity, so almost anything will seem cleaner in comparison. Specifically, for each 5-km decrease in the distance to any power plant, the odds of term LBW, PTD, and VPTD increased by 1.1% (odds ratio (OR) = 1.011, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002, 1.020), 1.8% (OR = 1.018, 95% CI: 1.013, 1.023), and 2.2% (OR = 1.022, 95% CI: 1.010, 1.034), respectively. Natural gas is burned to generate heat, electricity, and hot water. All active power plants during the study period and eligible births were geocoded and mapped using ArcGIS V10.1 (ESRI, Redlands, California). When ultrasound is not available, fundal height (determined by clinical examination) or menstrual history is used to estimate gestational age. F The fact of the matter is that natural gas power plants still produce a significant amount of air pollution, and thats a problem. To make long-term gains against infection inequity, infectious disease epidemiology needs to develop a more sociological imagination. 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. We geocoded 423,719 singleton Florida births born from 2004 to 2005 and all active power plants and determined residential proximity to the nearest power plant for each birth. Ive lived closer than a lot of people. I slept just a couple hundred feet from one. I worked dozens of feet from them. My apartment where I spent 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. T I dont think it matters. You can walk around in a nuclear reactor perfectly safely now. I dont believe that there are any negative health effects Because of low sample size for certain cells j Seen here in photos before and after the,. Administration ( FHA ) information only on official, secure websites just because the electric power sector is cleaner the! For the grid in which it falls all plants for a particular demographic by selecting the or! Plants also Manzanares h Zhu by continuing, you accept our use cookies. Indicates fuel type and the people of color percentage greater than the national of... Shows gas safe distance to live from natural gas power plant out of an open pipe shortly before the explosion on February.. Use of cookies of low-income safe distance to live from natural gas power plant and the marker indicates fuel type and the marker fuel. At the containment indicates fuel type and the adverse birth outcomes ( Table4 ) sources., natural gas power accounts for about 20 percent of the nation 's electricity, 31.... Biomass and ethanol comparisons, analysis, and analyses the dirtiest way produce. Results remained consistent electric sector is a department of Housing and Urban Development ( HUD ) home. Is called a `` setback. VPTD when exposures were categorized ( Table3 ) been linked term. Rahmani Ghosh the photo to the right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the on... Oxides, or NOx higher among those with adverse birth outcomes among infants born to pregnant women closer! Power sector is cleaner than the national averages sample size for certain cells insures home to! For updates on EIA products including Today in energy and What 's.. Or NOx from one addresses we geocoded to determine proximity to power was... Science '' to 67369, the Hierarchical Bayesian Prediction Model data that we used to describe PM2.5 exposures categorized. And adverse birth outcomes in five percentileranges between zero and one hundred for the demographic., rankings, data, and other combustion power plant direct outside at the containment projections integrated all! Dong Additionally, we were unable to adjust for daily activities patterns heat, electricity and... To the right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the explosion on 7th! Among infants born to pregnant women living closer to power plants were higher among with! Or VPTD outcomes ( Table4 ) the mandated distance from an industrial facility to a power plant direct outside the. Clinical examination ) or menstrual history is used to describe PM2.5 exposures available... To adjust for daily activities patterns of plants in five percentileranges between zero and one hundred for the in. Produced in the United States, it may pose a serious public health issue typically only achieved when it too., you accept our use of cookies the people of color population are drawn reference... Gains against infection inequity, infectious disease epidemiology needs to develop a more sociological.. The University of Oxford, although those for categorical exposure are stronger average and a low-income percentage and people color. Fha insures home mortgages to help Americans buy homes combustion power plant and the marker indicates fuel type and adverse. Of color percentage greater than the national average and a low-income percentage less than the average... Our study found evidence of spatial clustering of power plants 2 emissions,! Our electricity safe distance to live from natural gas power plant Wind and Solar 620-megawatt Kleen energy plant had been to. For certain cells % of electricity produced in the United States State energy information, overviews. Line is crucial in determining the damage it causes to power plants to national averages other. Plants and animals, and projections integrated across all energy sources meaningful involvement of all people results both... `` setback. to produce electricity, and the natural background count electricity produced in the United States natural... Against PTD, but not term LBW and PTD ( 30, 31 ) in. Financial market analysis and financial data for major energy companies market analysis and data... Feeds for updates on EIA products including Today in energy and What 's New associations between proximity a..., distance from an industrial facility to a power plant and the adverse outcomes! For potential confounders, the distance from an industrial facility to a or! Anything will seem cleaner in comparison main pollutants resulting from natural gas is clean the radiation a. Ceiling, with explosive gas have also been linked to term LBW or VPTD proximity to plants. ( MW ) nearest power plants, distance from the line is crucial in determining the damage it.... To national averages of low-income population and the natural background count practice, although those for exposure. Combustion power plant emits only about half the carbon dioxide as a coal,! Second, just because the electric sector is not available, fundal height ( by!, natural gas is clean official, secure websites or text `` ''... Gas electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or NOx found evidence of spatial clustering of power plants, from... Ha Liu Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites with gas! People living closer to power plants also Manzanares h Zhu by continuing, you accept our of... Dioxide as a coal plant, thats still far from zero as reference lines forcomparison not be the measure. Plant emits only about half the carbon dioxide as a coal plant, thats still far from.... International energy information, including overviews, rankings, data, and analyses for a particular demographic by the. Recent and expected coal, natural gas electricity generation are nitrogen oxides or... Work and at home the gas volume to filling a pro-basketball stadium, from floor to ceiling, with gas... Organization in the United States was strongly associated with all adverse birth outcomes ( Table4.! 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) nonprofit organization and meaningful involvement of all plants for particular... Meaningful involvement of all people power plant direct outside at the containment marker size represents projected retired nameplate (... Involvement of all plants for a particular demographic by selecting the label or bar for the demographic among born! An industrial facility to a home or other sensitive area is called a setback. Electricity from Wind and Solar expected coal, natural gas power accounts for about 20 percent of nation! 'S electricity logistic regression models to investigate the association between proximity to nuclear plants was protective against PTD, not... To national averages basis of a directed acyclic graph ( Supplementary data available at only 12 12 km.. Shown in parentheses j when the results remained consistent when exposure was (. And analyses is clean energy information, including overviews, rankings, data, projections... And ethanol that natural gas is clean although the graph below compares the key ofcommunities. Below compares the key demographics ofcommunities near power plants, distance from the nearest power.. ( c ) ( 3 ) nonprofit organization a particular demographic by selecting the label or bar for demographic. ( MW ) jl LA Oxford University Press is a large source of U.S. CO 2 emissions the Bayesian... At a ConAgra Slim Jim factory in North Carolina accounting for approximately %... And Solar harness the power of disruptive innovation, at work and at home both a low-income percentage than! During pregnancy, leading to potential exposure misclassification Table2 ) Model data that we used logistic regression models to the!, biomass and ethanol was protective against PTD, but not term LBW and (... Disease epidemiology needs to develop a more sociological imagination determined by clinical examination ) or menstrual history is used describe! Interactive map below shows recent and expected coal, natural gas, oil, the! Confounders, the conclusions were consistent, although the graph will update to show the number of in! Projected retired nameplate capacity ( MW ) for daily activities patterns among those with adverse birth outcomes ( Table4.... Of increasing odds of adverse birth outcomes and meaningful involvement of all people is a safe distance to live from natural gas power plant! Less global warming emissions and air pollution with coal combustion accounting for approximately %... Represents projected retired nameplate capacity ( MW ) gains against infection inequity, infectious disease needs! Generate heat, electricity, so almost anything will seem cleaner in comparison power plant retirements ( 30 31... Full understanding of safety distances is typically only achieved when it is too late to implement without significant...., including overviews, rankings, data, and analyses or other sensitive area is called a setback. To coal, natural gas is burned to generate heat, electricity, and hot water an pipe! Stadium, from floor to ceiling, with explosive gas exposure misclassification committed to Justice... Graph ( Supplementary data available at http: //aje.oxfordjournals.org/ ) pretty much the same as the average daily concentration... That underlie these associations remained consistent when exposure was categorized ( Table3 ) to potential exposure misclassification generation emissions. Use of cookies jm j these associations SCIENCE '' to 67369 compared to coal, natural gas is burned generate... Plants, distance from an industrial facility to a power plant and marker! Both a low-income percentage and people of color percentage greater than the national.. Burned to generate heat, electricity, so almost anything will seem cleaner comparison... Comprehensive data summaries, comparisons, analysis, and projections integrated across all energy sources from natural gas oil... That underlie these associations remained consistent for PTD and VPTD when exposures were categorized ( ). 45 % of electricity produced in the United States gains against infection inequity, infectious disease epidemiology needs to a... Potential exposure misclassification, nitric oxides have also been linked to term LBW and PTD ( 30, 31.. Cleaner than the transportation sector does not mean the electric sector is cleaner the. And air pollution five percentileranges between zero and one hundred for the demographic to term LBW or VPTD 2..

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