Power Plant Pollution Related to Illness, Death
By Danielle Trusso
Washington - Pollutants from six Maryland power plants
contribute to hundreds of premature deaths and thousands
of asthma attacks in several states, according to a
report released Wednesday.
The report details the health effects of pollutants emitted
when coal is burned in power plants. Harvard University
public health Professor Jonathan Levy conducted the
study at the request of the Maryland Nurses Association.
Pollution is a major public health problem in Maryland,
said Brenda Afzal, community health specialist for the
MNA. The group is working with the General Assembly
on a law to reduce emissions.
"Death and illness from power plant pollution strikes
the most vulnerable of Maryland citizens," she said
in a conference call with reporters.
The study did not give state-by-state data, but
pollution can travel hundreds of thousands of miles
in the atmosphere, Levy said.
"It's certainly not unique to Maryland," Levy said
in a phone interview. The amount of pollutants emitted
varies among states. The Ohio River Valley, Tennessee
and Georgia are known to produce pollution.
Levy said fine particulate matter is related to
respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. One of the
main sources is older, fossil-fueled power plants
that release sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
"In Maryland alone, we have a major issue as far as
children suffering from asthma," said Steve Peregoy,
president of the American Lung Association. Asthma
is one of the leading causes of hospitalization and
missed school in the state.
About seven years ago, the American Lung Association
identified 20,000 Maryland children with asthma. The
number has increased to as many as 150,000 children
with symptoms, he said.
"Outdoor air pollution, specifically sulfur dioxide
and nitrogen oxide, plays a significant role in lung
disease," he said. The American Lung Association has
issued state of the air reports for the last five
years, and each year Maryland ranks as one of the
most polluted places.
Levy said his report estimated current health impacts
on Maryland based on 2004 emissions and current
population projections. These emissions contribute
to 700 premature deaths, of which about 100 occur in Maryland.
"Estimates imply that most premature death and disease
associated with six power plants occur outside the
state," he said. Most health problems occur in states
located downwind, such as Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
The study does not provide solutions, but Eric Schaeffer,
director of the Environmental Integrity Program, said
sulfur dioxide emissions could be reduced by 90 percent
if plants used scrubbers. The technology has been
available since the 1970s.
"There isn't a single scrubber in the state of Maryland,"
Schaeffer said. The Clean Air Act grandfathers the six
older plants, allowing them to avoid restrictions that
would apply to new plants.
The amount of sulfur dioxide in 2004 was the same as it
was in 1990. But the gas emissions have been reduced by
30 percent nationally, he said. Reductions in nitrogen
oxide in Maryland are largely because of federal regulations.
Mirant, which owns three of the Maryland plants, had not
reviewed the study and did not wish to comment.
Robert L. Gould, Constellation Energy spokesman, said in
an e-mail that the study's results look similar to
previous findings of the Environmental Health Agency.
The corporation plans to spend about $500 to implement
EPA rules intended to reduce sulfur and nitrogen gases.
The rules become effective in 2007 and 2010.
Source: Scripps Howard Foundation
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