N TH However, in addition to adjustment for maternal education, which serves as a proxy for socioeconomic status, we also adjusted for census-tract-level median household income from the US Census 2000 to control for ecological (or population-level) socioeconomic status factors. One may argue that potential confounding may be caused by other variables that we did not adjust for. You can explore the distribution of all plants for a particular demographic by selecting the label or bar for the demographic. 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). The CSB is trying to devise better safety codes for gas blows, but has yet to identify them. Dominici On Florida birth certificates, the gestational age in weeks is typically determined by ultrasound measurements. However, we have also used a fully adjusted model with all covariates in our directed acyclic graph. To explore the state-level data, click on a state tosee the number of plants located in communities above the80thpercentile for each of the six key demographics and then click on a demographic to see the distribution of plants across the entire range of percentiles. et al. b Nuclear plants are categorized differently because there are no births with 2 or more nuclear plants within 20 km. ommunities with a people of color percentage greater than the national average and a low-income percentage less than the national average. More research is warranted to better understand the causal relationship. Hu Florida has relatively high power plant emissions (16, 24) that provide a unique opportunity to investigate the potential association between power plant emissions and adverse birth outcomes. Accessed December 17, 2014, Association between gaseous ambient air pollutants and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Vancouver, Canada, Ambient air pollution and term birth weight in Texas from 1998 to 2004, Traffic-related air toxics and term low birth weight in Los Angeles County, California, Association between local traffic-generated air pollution and preeclampsia and preterm delivery in the south coast air basin of California, Emissions of Hazardous Air Pollutants from Coal-fired Power Plants, Exposure to air pollution during different gestational phases contributes to risks of low birth weight, Congenital abnormalities and indicators of germinal mutations in the vicinity of the Paks nuclear plant, Hungary, Risk factors for low birth weight: a review. Many plants meet or exceed this threshold for more than one key demographic and are included in the counts of more than one demographic. A detailed description of this method was reported elsewhere (23). By continuing, you accept our use of cookies. JM Accessed December 6, 2014, US Power Plant Global Warming Emissions Rising in 2013 AfterYears of Decline, Birth defects in the vicinity of nuclear power plants in Germany, Congenital anomalies, prematurity, and low birth weight rates in relation to nuclear power plant proximity, Pregnancy outcome of women in the vicinity of nuclear power plants in Taiwan, Increased risk of preterm delivery in women residing near thermal power plants in Taiwan, Using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model to estimate public health impacts of PM, Maternal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) and pregnancy outcomes: a meta-analysis, The effects of air pollution on adverse birth outcomes, Fuel sources and carbon dioxide emissions by electric power plants in the United States, Published March 2009. 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. We will A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Bell its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. 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. Wu Bremner HS 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). J With coal combustion accounting for approximately 45% of electricity produced in the United States, it may pose a serious public health issue. Basic stages of natural gas processing and treatment. The final reason to be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants is that it may get worse in the coming years. Zhu Mark Specht is the Western States Energy Manager/Senior Analyst for the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Reply STOP to cancel. G Lets make sure we bring everyone along in the transition to clean electricity. Saurel-Cubizolles Researchers from this study found no evidence of risk of childhood cancer for families living 164 feet or more from power lines. S Abbreviations: LBW, low birth weight; PTD, preterm delivery; SD, standard deviation; VPTD, very preterm delivery. X M a Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, education, marital status, census block group income, and urban neighborhood. C 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. 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. Additionally, we were not able to identify critical windows of exposure that underlie these associations. Because of accumulating evidence of a negative relationship between power plants and human health, a few studies have assessed the association between proximity to nuclear power plants and adverse birth outcomes, but no association was found (1719). J In New York, power-sector emissions Simpson S When hydrogen is added to the natural gas fuel mix, the carbon emissions fall even more. 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 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). When ultrasound is not available, fundal height (determined by clinical examination) or menstrual history is used to estimate gestational age. 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. The map displays all fossil fuel-fired power plants that supply electricity to the grid. 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%). et al. D For example, you could filter the data to only display the largest emitting coal-fired plants with neighboring communities above the 80th percentile nationally of low-income population. HL Ha JM Natural gas is a relatively clean burning fossil fuel. Tsai For term LBW, only those living between 10 and 20 km away from any power plant had increased odds. 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. Spengler a Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, marital status, census block group income, and urban neighborhood. Underground Natural Gas Storage by Storage Type, The Basics of Underground Natural Gas Storage, Natural Gas Processing: The Crucial Link Between Natural Gas Production and Its Transportation to Market. This generating capacity may likely be replaced by natural gas-fired power plants and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. The type of nearest power plant was also identified by fuel type. For example, higher exposure to sulfur dioxide has been linked to PTD among singleton births (28) and decreased term birth weight (29). L Tools to customize searches, view specific data sets, study detailed documentation, and access time-series data. The main pollutants resulting from natural gas electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or NOx. Gouveia The type of nearest power plant was also identified by fuel type. How Much Land Would it Require to Get Most of Our Electricity from Wind and Solar? We also found that gas and oil plants had a positive association with adverse birth outcomes, especially PTD and VPTD. Y We also created 20 km buffers around each birth and determined the total number of power plants within this buffer (Table4). Forms EIA uses to collect energy data including descriptions, links to survey instructions, and additional information. 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. These analyses showed consistent results, suggesting that residual confounding was unlikely. D Siffel et al. We wish to thank the Florida Department of Health for supplying the data. 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. In categorical exposure analyses, no association was found. 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). Such information would be valuable in public health efforts to reduce adverse birth outcomes. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 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. 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 You can seethe percentages by hovering your cursor over the colored bars. Nathanson 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. Table1 shows participants' characteristics by term LBW, PTD, and VPTD. Lanki Short, timely articles with graphics on energy, facts, issues, and trends.
Nooksack Falls Deaths, Charleston Space A Flight Schedule, How Long Is Ringworm Contagious In Cats After Starting Treatment, Gavin Houston Cosby Show, Articles S