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