Coal-fired Power Plants Still Problematic

The Clean Air Task Force has released a study showing that reducing pollution from coal-fired power plants saves lives and reduces health care costs, but there are still 13,000 deaths a year attributable to fine particle pollution.

The report says more than 1300 Pennsylvanians will die from power plant pollution this year—more deaths than any other state. Myron Arnowitt, state director of Clean Water Action, says Pittsburgh is surrounded by coal-burning power plants, and Southwestern Pennsylvania has some of the highest levels of soot in the air--leaving it out of compliance with the Clean Air Act.

He says coal is not as cheap as the industry claims because of the extra health care costs accrued by people who've had heart attacks, asthma attacks, etc.--some of whom are uninsured.

Arnowitt says hundreds of scientific studies have shown that people exposed to various levels of soot in the air will suffer certain percentages of heart attacks, asthma, chronic bronchitis and premature deaths.

"The Toll from Coal" report