Communities near coal plants need to know health threat
by Jane Dale Owen, December 2006
TXU Energy provides electricity and related services to more than 2.2 million electricity customers in Texas, more customers than any other retail electric provider in the state. TXU plans to build 11 of 19 new coal-burning power plants in Texas. The new coal-burning power plants proposed by TXU would threaten the health of Texans. The company’s existing Texas plants rank among the worst polluters in the nation. Not one of TXU’s new plants would use so-called "clean coal" technology.
In October 2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed an executive order that shortened the hearings for permitting coal-fired power plants from a year-and-a-half, down to six months. This unprecedented change in the permitting process gives less time for investigation of the impact of these plants on the environment and nearby communities, and less time for citizens to make their cases in court.
Already there is evidence that coal-plants are a significant source of toxic pollution. A recent study shows that 240 more deaths a year will result from the 19 proposed coal plants – 12,000 deaths over the 50-year life of the plants. This is all the warning needed to warrant precaution and find a better way to provide power to the state of Texas. But it will take years before the wide-ranging health effects of TXU’s proposed coal-fired power plants are known.
Throughout history, industry has endangered public health and the environment by ignoring early warnings about toxins and pollution generally because it is difficult to prove harm. People who will suffer the health consequences of these coal plants need to have fair warning and a chance to speak about their concerns.
Deaths and illness that have resulted from benzene exposure provide an example what happens when early warning of health hazards are ignored. As early as 1897, the connection between benzene, now known as a carcinogen, and aplastic anemia was evident. Studies in 1928 and 1929 linked benzene to abnormally low white blood cell counts and leukemia in benzene workers. In 1948 American Petroleum Institute concluded the only absolutely safe level of exposure to benzene is zero, but recommended 50 parts per million (ppm) or less. In the 1950’s and 1960’s many workers died due to lack of precaution regarding benzene. It wasn’t until 1987, that a new standard of 1 ppm was adopted. The delay caused more than 200 deaths in the United States. There are many other examples throughout history of how precaution and attention to early warnings could have prevented illness and death.
Unfortunately, precaution to protect public health is not a top priority for Texas Governor Rick Perry or TXU. Eight of the proposed plants are now being rushed through the permitting process. People who live near these plants need to be fully informed of the health risks and have the opportunity to be heard. But there is not time for that if the fast-tracking of these plant permits is allowed to occur.
According to Public Citizen and SEED (Sustainable Energy and Economic Development) Coalition, 19 proposed additional coal-burning power plants would annually emit into the air:
- 124.5 million tons of CO2 –contributes to global warming
- 73,157 tons of SO2 – causes acid rain and breathing impairments
- 33,546 tons of nitrous oxides (NOx) – forms ozone
- 22,116 tons of particulate pollution – contributes to breathing impairment
- 4,415 pound of toxic mercury – contaminates fish and leads to permanent brain damage in exposed children
Studies show people living near coal plants have a higher risk of cancer and asthma and the children are at risk of brain disorders that result in learning and behavioral disorders. Particle pollution that can get into the lungs and bloodstream, as well as acid gases and mercury are just a few of the concerns of residents living near coal plants.
Perhaps the most dangerous pollutants, radioactive substances, have been ignored in TXU permit filings and by the news media. Coal plants are the primary human activity responsible for the release of cancer-causing radioactive substances known as radionuclides. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radium-226, radium-228 and thorium-232, and their decay products, as promoting cancer in human beings – all of these radionuclides are present in coal. They become more concentrated when they are burned and emitted as gases and particles.
When coal is burned, these substances are released in coal plant smoke stack gases and fine particles that contaminate human lungs as well as air, water and soil near the plant. So people who live near the plants are likely to get a daily dose of these carcinogens with each breath they take, in the water they drink and in any food that is grown nearby.
It is criminal to knowingly put human beings in harm’s way. Peer-reviewed scientific information is available to show that coal fired power plants built using the antiquated technology that is proposed by TXU puts many lives at risk. We must call on Governor Perry to stop this insanity and make the development of clean renewable energy a top priority.
Jane Dale Owen is president of Citizens League for Environmental Action Now (CLEAN). She is granddaughter of Robert Lee Blaffer, co-founder of Humble Oil, and the only non-scientist board member of the Federation of American Scientists.
