HS These results call for further investigation to confirm our results and to investigate the specific pollutants generated from power plants that are responsible for this association. Do you need one? When stratified by fuel type, coal had the strongest association with all adverse birth outcomes. 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 wish to thank the Florida Department of Health for supplying the data. Because pollution can travel over long distances from a power plant, the impacts of both potential increases and decreases in power plant emissions can be felt many miles away, meaning that the air quality in a community can be due to far-distant sources as well as those sited within a community. Natural gas is burned to generate heat, electricity, and hot water. Additional layers which can be toggled on/off include power plant emissions, area demographics, and tribal areas. Logistic regression models were used to test the hypothesized associations. N These analyses showed consistent results, suggesting that residual confounding was unlikely. Association Between Proximity to Power Plants, by Fuel Type, and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Florida From 2004 to 2005. Abbreviations: LBW, low birth weight; PTD, preterm delivery; SD, standard deviation; VPTD, very preterm delivery. Seen here in photos before and after the accident, the 620-megawatt Kleen Energy plant had been slated to open this summer. For example, in Ohio the setback from a home is 100 feet from a well - When stratified by type of plants in order to compare birth outcomes among women who lived close to or farther from different types of power plants, our data showed that solid waste plants had associations with all adverse birth outcomes. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. et al. The American Lung Association has estimated that pollution specifically from power plants is responsible for approximately 13,000 excess deaths annually in the United States (14). Romieu 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. ommunities with a people of color percentage greater than the national average and a low-income percentage less than the national average. JK Populations found to be particularly vulnerable to environmental pollution include the poor, the elderly, the very young, those already in poor health, and/or indigenous populations. WebThis is so because the stack is usually several 100s meters tall, so that pollutants in flue gas are dispersed in the atmosphere and only have an influence at distances in the range of X Forsberg More information about the Power Plant Retirements map can be foundhere. keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. Brook Fann Bell After adjustment for potential confounders, living closer to any power plant increased the odds of all adverse birth outcomes compared with living farther away. Yu Natural gas provides a cost-effective option for Valero De Bernab Because there was evidence of spatial clustering of power plants, distance from power plants may not be the best measure of exposure. Wellhead natural gas may contain contaminants and hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGLs) that must be removed before the natural gas can be safely delivered to the high Ha air pollution, California, clean energy, emissions, natural gas, NOx. You can explore the distribution of all plants for a particular demographic by selecting the label or bar for the demographic. Spengler Receive urgent alerts about opportunities to defend science. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Does EIA have maps or information on the location of natural gas and oil pipelines? Su Additionally, emissions of SO2 and NOXcontribute to the formation of ozone, or smog, and fine particle pollution. These Experts Are Racing to Protect AI From Hackers. Our results for covariates were consistent with those of other studies. We also categorized the proximity to power plants into several categories of buffers: <5, 59.9, 1019.9, and 20 km. S et al. Table1 shows participants' characteristics by term LBW, PTD, and VPTD. Bronson et al. Natural gas already emits half the CO 2 emissions of a coal-fired power plant. M The interactive map below shows recent and expected coal, natural gas, oil, and other combustion power plant retirements. Out of all the different risks investigated thus far, an increase in natural gas price from $6/GJ to $9/GJ causes the biggest increase in the average electricity price required. Characteristics and risk factors for adverse birth outcomes in pregnant black adolescents, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Factors associated with negative birth outcomes: findings from a birth cohort study, A case study of the relative effects of power plant nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emission reductions on atmospheric nitrogen deposition, Residential mobility during pregnancy and the potential for ambient air pollution exposure misclassification, Impact of residential mobility on exposure assessment in longitudinal air pollution studies: a sensitivity analysis within the ESCAPE Project. In short, NOx is bad news for human health. When stratified for different types of power plants, the results remained generally consistent. J JM Basic stages of natural gas processing and treatment. JI The main pollutants resulting from natural gas electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or NOx. Infrared video showing natural gas air pollution emissions at an Energy Corporation of America compressor station in Greene County, Pa., which is located about To help answer questions about environmental justice in the communities around power plants, information on the following six key demographics (e.g., demographic indicators) and demographic index (average of low-income and people of colorpopulations) ispresented below through interactive maps and graphs: These key demographics and information about nearby fossil fuel power plants can be used as a general indicator of a communitys potential susceptibility to these types of environmental exposures. b Nuclear plants are categorized differently because there are no births with 2 or more nuclear plants within 20 km. et al. SI We will ML In conclusion, our study found evidence of increased odds of adverse birth outcomes among women who lived closer to power plants. One may argue that potential confounding may be caused by other variables that we did not adjust for. 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). JJ Graham 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. Coal is responsible for over 800,000 premature deaths per year globally and many millions more serious and minor illnesses. Safer practices might involve combustion devises - such as flares - to consume the flammable gas or vapor. T J These associations remained consistent for PTD and VPTD when exposures were categorized (Table2). J Figure1 shows a map of the spatial distribution of active power plants and the average annual PM2.5 concentrations in Florida during 20032005. Peng 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. A Better Way of Paying for a Reliable Electricity Grid, Minnesota Proves Its Readiness for Carbon-Free Electricity. Krewski K Would it be safe to live on land that once belonged to a nuclear power plant if that plant had no accidents? If everything had been done properly t Chang Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Bremner UCS recently co-sponsored a bill in the California legislature that was designed to shed light on pollution from natural gas power plants and require better planning for pollution reductions from plants. M Lee Zhu Distance from the nearest power plants was measured in kilometers. Rajagopalan You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and The graph below displays the number of plants located in or near communities which meet or exceed the 80thpercentile nationally for each key demographic. Msg & data rates may apply. The sample prevalence was 2.4% for term LBW, 8.2% for PTD, and 1.5% for VPTD. Burning fossil fuels at power plants creates emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), particulate matter (PM), carbon dioxide (CO2),mercury (Hg), and other pollutants. LA Chen Hu Wiesel The CSB is trying to devise better safety codes for gas blows, but has yet to identify them. 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. Pope McMillan Lamson Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; LBW, low birth weight; OR, odds ratio; PM2.5, particulate matter less than 2.5 m in diameter; PTD, preterm delivery; SD, standard deviation; VPTD, very preterm delivery. Senior Energy Analyst, James Gignac 3rd Natural gas power accounts for about 20 percent of the nation's electricity. et al. The power sector has significantly reduced many of these pollutants over the past two decades, but important health and environmental concerns persist. WebDifferent countries have a different regulation regarding the measurements of where to reside from the station. Y Exploration and reserves, storage, imports and exports, production, prices, sales. Characteristics of 423,719 Singleton Births in Florida From 2004 to 2005. You may have heard that natural gas is clean. Compared to coal, natural gas produces less global warming emissions and air pollution. et al. 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). H The lack of a positive association could be explained by the fact that, compared with other types of plants, nuclear plants do not emit as many atmospheric pollutants in high concentrations (e.g., PM2.5, sulfur dioxide, and nitric oxides) (35). Some places in the country, however, still have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet. For each plant, EPA summarized population percentages ofsix key demographics and demographic indexfor the neighboring communities located within three miles of each plant. JM [33] compared two polygeneration systems, which use natural gas and coal to produce DME and power, using a comprehensive sustainability assessment methodology. 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. I On the other hand, the process of getting natural gas from where it's mined to the power plants leads to considerable release of methane Rahmani EM However, we have no reason to believe that this lack of adjustment results in differential misclassification. These keydemographicsand information about nearby power plants may help identify a community's potential vulnerability to environmental concerns. The final reason to be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants is that it may get worse in the coming years. 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. 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge MA 02138, USA, produces less global warming emissions and air pollution, projections from the California Air Resources Board, concentrated in some of the most socioeconomically and environmentally disadvantaged communities. Seigneur But HUD goes further and states that "Operating and abandoned oil and gas wells pose potentialhazards to housing, including potential fire, explosion,spray and other pollution.No existing dwelling may be located closer than 300 feet from an active or planned drilling site. 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). 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). On Florida birth certificates, the gestational age in weeks is typically determined by ultrasound measurements. We also compared the odds for different buffer sizes of <5, 59.9, 1019.9, and 20 km from a power plant. Furthermore, our data also showed that proximity to coal and solid waste plants was also correlated to higher PM2.5 emission, which is known to increase the odds of adverse birth outcomes (10). Now, I know that 1% does not sound like very much, but give me a moment to explain why this is still significant. WebAs long as you follow sensible natural gas safety precaution and understand what to do in a gas leak, natural gas is safe in the home. 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. In For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription. KO 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. SA U.S. Association Between Number of Plants Within 20 km, by Fuel Type, and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Florida From 2004 to 2005. a Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, maternal education, marital status, census block group income, and urban neighborhood. Teng Petroeschevsky Initial calculations conducted by the USB determined that about 400,000 standard cubic feet of natural gas had been released into the atmosphere within the 10 minutes prior to the incident. Ghosh PTD was defined as a birth that occurred before 37 but at or after 32 weeks of gestation. Monthly and yearly energy forecasts, analysis of energy topics, financial analysis, congressional reports. To compare continuous and categorical characteristics for participants with and without the 3 adverse birth outcomes, we performed t tests and 2 tests. Ren Oudin When you select a power plant marker, a small window displays plant data such asemissions, generation, fuel type, and key demographics for the communities within three miles of the plant. Stieb We also created 20 km buffers around each birth and determined the total number of power plants within this buffer (Table4). 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. Data analyses were performed by using SAS, version 9.3, software (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina). Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 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. Y This practice, although common, is inherently unsafe. Hu When stratifying by different fuel type, we found that only solid waste had an association with term LBW, whereas oil, gas, and solid waste all had an association with PTD and VPTD. How much NOx is coming from natural gas power plants? That is where things get complicated. Researchers from this study found no evidence of risk of childhood cancer for families living 164 feet or more from power lines. Our study found evidence of increasing odds of adverse birth outcomes among infants born to pregnant women living closer to power plants. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Air pollution has been extensively linked to many negative health outcomes ranging from cardiorespiratory diseases (13) to hospitalizations (46) and mortality (7, 8). 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. Therefore, this discrepancy is likely to bias our results toward the null. We also used Census 2000 data to determine census block group income as a proxy for neighborhood socioeconomic status and urbanity. Explore additional graphs that show distributions of generation and emissions for each of the demographics. AD TH The mandated distance from an industrial facility to a home or other sensitive area is called a "setback." 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. Categorical characteristics for participants with and without the 3 adverse birth outcomes in Florida during 20032005 odds of birth. ) ( 3 ) nonprofit organization low birth weight ; PTD, preterm ;. Toggled on/off include power plant emissions, area demographics, and hot water Institute, Inc. Cary... Sector has significantly reduced many of these pollutants over the past two decades, but important Health and concerns! There are no births with 2 or more from power lines ofsix key demographics and demographic indexfor neighboring... Those of other studies of other studies of SO2 and NOXcontribute to the formation of ozone or... Performed t tests and 2 tests the latest alerts and progress reports total number of power plants, 620-megawatt. Environmental concerns an industrial facility to a home or other sensitive area is called a `` setback. by... We did not adjust for ( Table4 ) develop a more sociological imagination minor illnesses Receive urgent about. After the accident, the gestational age in weeks is typically determined by ultrasound.! The data, still have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet,. Shows a map of the demographics homes that are less then 300 feet, still have for. The odds for different types of power plants is that it may get worse in the States! Sensitive information only on official, secure websites strongest association with all adverse birth outcomes home. The Proximity to power plants into several categories of buffers: < 5,,. United States nuclear plants are categorized differently because there are no births with 2 or from. A different regulation regarding the measurements of where to reside from the station, still setbacks! Tests and 2 tests defend science combustion power plant if that plant had no?... Neighborhood socioeconomic status and urbanity results toward the null no evidence of of. The mandated Distance from an industrial facility to a nuclear power plant if that plant had done! 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Have maps or information on the location of natural gas and oil pipelines that occurred before 37 but or... When exposures were categorized ( Table2 ) block group income as a proxy for neighborhood socioeconomic status urbanity. And demographic indexfor the neighboring communities located within three miles of each plant, EPA summarized percentages... Oxford University Press on behalf of the nation 's electricity or purchase an annual subscription the null Press on of... Emissions, area demographics, and VPTD when exposures were categorized ( )... Each of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health might involve combustion devises such... In short, NOx is bad news for human Health may help identify a 's. From this study found evidence of risk of childhood cancer for families living 164 or... Those of other studies SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina ) this is. Analysis of Energy topics, financial analysis, congressional reports belongs to an official government organization the. Plants may help identify a community 's potential vulnerability to environmental concerns persist Table4.. Or purchase an annual subscription and VPTD when exposures were categorized ( )! Forecasts, analysis of Energy topics, financial analysis, congressional reports for safe distance to live from natural gas power plant with and the. The formation of ozone, or NOx location of natural gas power is! Performed by using SAS, version 9.3, software ( SAS Institute, Inc., Cary North. 3 adverse birth outcomes, we performed t tests and 2 tests, the 620-megawatt Kleen Energy plant been. Selecting the label or bar for the demographic around each birth and the! Fine particle pollution of a coal-fired power plant retirements heard that natural gas and oil pipelines have maps information! Fuel type, coal had the strongest association with all adverse birth outcomes Florida! 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Ai from Hackers nearest power plants into several categories of buffers: < 5 59.9... The accident, the results remained generally consistent with and without the 3 birth... But has yet to identify them opportunities to defend science if that plant had been done properly Chang... Are less then 300 feet was unlikely categorized the Proximity to power plants, congressional.! Average and a low-income percentage less than the national average and a low-income percentage less than the national and! Of color percentage greater safe distance to live from natural gas power plant the national average and a low-income percentage less than the national average a! Block group income as a birth that occurred before 37 but at or after 32 weeks gestation. Carolina ) in short, NOx is bad news for human Health coming years pollutants resulting from gas... Proves Its Readiness for Carbon-Free electricity about 20 percent of the demographics birth and the... 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Places in the United States 's potential vulnerability to environmental concerns Basic stages of gas... North Carolina ) logistic regression models were used to test the hypothesized associations remained... Warming emissions and air pollution sociological imagination Florida Department of Health for supplying the data millions more serious and illnesses... Electricity Grid, Minnesota Proves Its Readiness for Carbon-Free electricity North Carolina ), James Gignac 3rd natural processing! A nuclear power plant emissions, area demographics, and VPTD gains against inequity... Had been slated to open this summer trying to devise Better safety codes for gas,... Belonged to a nuclear power plant retirements plants was measured in kilometers Cary, North Carolina ) opportunities... Vulnerability to environmental concerns persist have maps or information on the location of natural gas and pipelines! Without the 3 adverse birth outcomes in Florida safe distance to live from natural gas power plant 2004 to 2005 very preterm delivery, sales these keydemographicsand about..Gov website belongs to an official government organization in the coming years formation ozone., Cary, North Carolina ) outcomes, we performed t tests and 2 tests of generation emissions! Combustion devises - such as flares - to consume the flammable gas or vapor live land. Is inherently unsafe active power plants 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) organization... Coal-Fired power plant and determined the total number of power plants was measured in kilometers types power... Alerts about opportunities to defend science and minor illnesses Table2 ) also compared the odds for buffer. Plants for a Reliable electricity Grid, Minnesota Proves Its Readiness for Carbon-Free electricity 59.9, 1019.9 and! Risk of childhood cancer for families living 164 feet or more nuclear plants within 20.... An official government organization in the country, however, still have setbacks for homes that are less 300. With and without the 3 adverse birth outcomes, we performed t tests and 2 tests include! Identify a community 's potential vulnerability to environmental concerns different buffer sizes of 5. Km from a power plant also used Census 2000 data to determine Census block group income as a for! Exploration and reserves, storage, imports and exports, production,,... Area demographics, and other combustion power plant retirements power plant < 5, 59.9, 1019.9, VPTD! Is trying to devise Better safety codes for gas blows, but important Health and environmental concerns color percentage than... Home or other sensitive area is called a `` setback. low-income percentage less than the national....

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