Cons. Come test out some of the products still in development and let us know what you think! Nathanson SI with both a low-income percentage and people of color percentage greater than the national averages. et al. Infrared video showing natural gas air pollution emissions at an Energy Corporation of America compressor station in Greene County, Pa., which is located about Since then, researchers have further studied this association, including in the California Power Line Study, a 2016 study in the British Journal of Cancer. The main pollutants resulting from natural gas electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or NOx. These pollutants have been linked to adverse birth outcomes in many studies. Furthermore, when studying a proposed natural gas power plant, a California Energy Commission analysis found that local one-hour concentrations of NO2 (one form of NOx) would nearly double from their background levels. Forms EIA uses to collect energy data including descriptions, links to survey instructions, and additional information. Catov Fig. Wiesel The impacts of power plant emissions are not limited to the areas near power plants. S Additionally, we were not able to identify critical windows of exposure that underlie these associations. EM Hodges For term LBW, only those living between 10 and 20 km away from any power plant had increased odds. Tools to customize searches, view specific data sets, study detailed documentation, and access time-series data. Chen When the results for both analyses were compared, the conclusions were consistent, although those for categorical exposure are stronger. Data from California Air Resources BoardEmissions Projection Analysis. Union of Concerned Scientists Simpson Uranium fuel, nuclear reactors, generation, spent fuel. MJ Romieu Stolz Risk of Nuclear Accident -- Should anything happen to the power plant -- such as in a flood, a fire, an earthquake, or a terrorist attack -- homes within 10 miles of the power plant will be in direct danger. Some layersare not visible until the map is zoomed in. 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. This association is also consistent with our data that showed, on average, that women close to nuclear plants and other plants were exposed to lower levels of PM2.5. The mandated distance from an industrial facility to a home or other sensitive area is called a "setback." Buonocore Midwest Senior Policy Manager. For each demographic, the percentages of these communities within three miles of a power plant greater than and less than the national averages are displayed. 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). However, the distance from the line is crucial in determining the damage it causes. This pattern remained consistent when daily PM2.5 concentrations near different types of power plants were examined. J 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. These keydemographicsand information about nearby power plants may help identify a community's potential vulnerability to environmental concerns. EIA's free and open data available as API, Excel add-in, bulk files, and widgets. These analyses showed consistent results, suggesting that residual confounding was unlikely. Chang Exploration and reserves, storage, imports and exports, production, prices, sales. LA CC 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. DM We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Energy & Financial Markets: What Drives Crude Oil Prices? Y Bell Chen 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. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is home to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). A In short, NOx is bad news for human health. Williams In addition, we also overlaid geocoded active power plants and the 12 12 km grids to determine the daily PM2.5 concentrations near the power plants during the study period. 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. Liu Thanks for signing up. As noted in the Data Considerations section, information about the adjacent communities can be used to raise awareness and to help people understand the extent to which there may be disproportionate, adverse impacts on overburdened communities. Our study found evidence of increasing odds of adverse birth outcomes among infants born to pregnant women living closer to power plants. Called a gas blow, the operation involved workers streaming natural gas through a pipe at a high velocity in order to remove debris from new piping. HS R 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. S EH There were 150 active nonrenewable power plants with different fuel types including 17 coal plants, 66 gas plants, 3 nuclear plants, 28 oil plants, 29 solid waste plants, and 7 plants with other types of fuel (e.g., coke, etc.). Yli-Tuomi JD 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). Tsai Msg & data rates may apply. The results remained consistent when exposure was categorized (Table3). Distance from the nearest power plants was measured in kilometers. The national average for each demographic is shown in parentheses. Official websites use .gov In Scheme 1, the syngas that results from coal gasification was divided into two parts; one part went to the We also categorized the proximity to power A detailed description of this method was reported elsewhere (23). R Association Between Proximity to Power Plants and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Florida From 2004 to 2005. 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). Zhu The percentage of plants located in or near communities with an average greater than the national average is on the right side of the graph (green). WebDistance from the nearest power plants was measured in kilometers. 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. This finding has also been observed in Taiwan by Tsai et al. Lets make sure that does not happen. P 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 the categorical exposure analyses, we made a fundamental assumption that each power plant has a uniform effect on participants within a certain buffer. Quadrant D shows power plants located in or nearcommunities with both the low-income and people of color percentages less than the national averages. See the health effects of ozoneand particulate matter pollution. AR We also compared the odds for different buffer sizes of <5, 59.9, 1019.9, and 20 km from a power plant. 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). We use cookies to improve your experience. For each plant, EPA summarized population percentages ofsix key demographics and demographic indexfor the neighboring communities located within three miles of each plant. Some places in the country, however, still have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet. Oil and gas production poses all those risks. 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 Sign up for email subcriptions to receive messages about specific EIA products. Lets make sure we bring everyone along in the transition to clean electricity. First, natural gas power plants do not move they just sit there and emit NOx when they are operating. The graph will update to show the number of plants in five percentileranges between zero and one hundred for the selected demographic. Characteristics of 423,719 Singleton Births in Florida From 2004 to 2005. For controls, we used eligible births that had none of the 3 outcomes we assessed. Rahmani Valero De Bernab U.S. X Comprehensive data summaries, comparisons, analysis, and projections integrated across all energy sources. (* edit). You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and J 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. 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. Hu You can filter the plants displayed on the map based on demographics, plant characteristics such as size and fuel type, and quantity of annual plant-level emissions of SO2, NOX, CO2, and PM2.5. Air pollution has been extensively linked to many negative health outcomes ranging from cardiorespiratory diseases (13) to hospitalizations (46) and mortality (7, 8). [33] compared two polygeneration systems, which use natural gas and coal to produce DME and power, using a comprehensive sustainability assessment methodology. Halonen The type of nearest power plant was also identified by fuel type. Some of the highest-polluting natural gas power plants emit over 100 tons of NOx per year, which is roughly equivalent to the NOx emissions from traveling 11 million et al. With coal combustion accounting for approximately 45% of electricity produced in the United States, it may pose a serious public health issue. The power sector has significantly reduced many of these pollutants over the past two decades, but important health and environmental concerns persist. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Teng we equip you to harness the power of disruptive innovation, at work and at home. Receive urgent alerts about opportunities to defend science. This practice, although common, is inherently unsafe. These data are based on the US Environmental Protection Agency's Hierarchical Bayesian Prediction Model output (25). Therefore, this discrepancy is likely to bias our results toward the null. et al. M 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 In addition to the data presented in these maps and graphs, a We also found that gas and oil plants had a positive association with adverse birth outcomes, especially PTD and VPTD. Where do hydrocarbon gas liquids come from? Low-income populations generally have been found to have a higher prevalence of pre-existing diseases, limited access to medical treatment, and increased nutritional deficiencies, which can increase this populations susceptibility to pollution-related effects. Krewski When natural gas arrives at the locations where it will be used (usually through large pipelines), it flows into smaller diameter pipelines called mains and then into smaller service lines that go directly to homes or buildings. J The interactive map below shows recent and expected coal, natural gas, oil, and other combustion power plant retirements. . 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. Regional energy information including dashboards, maps, data, and analyses. Thanks to the Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project (NEOGAP) for this information. Anderson The term LBW was defined as a birth weighing less than 2,500 g at birth and born at or after 37 weeks of gestation. . They produce toxic and radioactive waste and spew it into the air, poisoning the environment, sickening people, and causing climate change. Oh wait In New York, power-sector emissions Please click here to see any active alerts. We will The CSB is trying to devise better safety codes for gas blows, but has yet to identify them. In general, PM2.5 concentrations tend to cluster around areas with more power plants (Figure1). RD Natural gas power accounts for about 20 percent of the nation's electricity. More research is warranted to better understand the causal relationship. R We also used Census 2000 data to determine census block group income as a proxy for neighborhood socioeconomic status and urbanity. et al. It is based on nationally consistent data and uses an approach that combines environmental indicatorsand demographics in maps and reports. et al. Natural gas storage during periods of low demand helps to ensure that enough natural gas is available during periods of high demand. (617) 547-5552. et al. Quantifying the risk Four people died last year during a gas blow at a ConAgra Slim Jim factory in North Carolina. One may argue that potential confounding may be caused by other variables that we did not adjust for. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. On average, males weigh 150 and 200 g more than females (36) given term birth, and they have a 9%24% increased risk for PTD (37). The map displays all fossil fuel-fired power plants that supply electricity to the grid. 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. There are a lot of factors that you need to consider. Different countries have a different regulation regarding the measurements of where to reside LA et al. A Some power plants also Results were consistent when exposure was categorized by number of power plants. We used logistic regression models to investigate the association between proximity to a power plant and the adverse birth outcomes. Mangones D During the study period, power plants in the United States emitted an estimated annual average of 2,491,971 metric tons of carbon dioxide, 10,431 metric tons of sulfur dioxide, and 4,212 metric tons of nitric oxides (27). How Much Land Would it Require to Get Most of Our Electricity from Wind and Solar? Rajagopalan For example, higher exposure to sulfur dioxide has been linked to PTD among singleton births (28) and decreased term birth weight (29). Coal was strongly associated with all adverse birth outcomes (Table4). After adjustment for potential confounders, the associations between proximity to power plants and adverse birth outcomes remained consistent. M Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. et al. A Better Way of Paying for a Reliable Electricity Grid, Minnesota Proves Its Readiness for Carbon-Free Electricity. We wish to thank the Florida Department of Health for supplying the data. These Experts Are Racing to Protect AI From Hackers. However, proximity was our best available surrogate for exposure, and it potentially captures all the pollutants emitted by different types of power plants. Proximity to any power plant appeared to increase the odds of all adverse birth outcomes for both continuous and categorical exposure in the unadjusted model. CA Martinez The sample prevalence was 2.4% for term LBW, 8.2% for PTD, and 1.5% for VPTD. 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 Two logistic regression models were used for each outcome: The first model was unadjusted, and the second model was a parsimonious model adjusted for potential confounders on the basis of our directed acyclic graph (Supplementary Data). 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). 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. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The lack of consistent associations between nuclear plants and adverse birth outcomes is consistent with results from several previous studies, which showed no association between distance to nuclear power plants and adverse birth outcomes (1719, 34). The final reason to be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants is that it may get worse in the coming years. L Moreover, there is recent evidence suggesting that harmful emissions from power plants may be increasing (16). KO Additional layers which can be toggled on/off include power plant emissions, area demographics, and tribal areas. N 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. Carbon-Free electricity resulting from natural gas power accounts for about 20 percent of the nation electricity... 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