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Environmental impacts of coal

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This article is part of the Coal Issues portal on SourceWatch, a project of CoalSwarm and the Center for Media and Democracy.

There are numerous damaging environmental impacts of coal, from both coal-fired power plants and coal mining. These include significant emissions of carbon dioxide and methane, which are greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and climate change. Coal burning and mining also cause several other kinds of air and water pollution, creating serious health and environmental risks.

1 Air pollution from coal-fired power plants
2 Solid waste from coal-fired power plants
3 Coal mining
4 Resources

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Air pollution from coal-fired power plants

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, in an average year, a typical coal plant (500 megawatts) generates the following amounts of air pollutants:^[1]

3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂), an amount equivalent to chopping down 161 million trees. CO₂ pollution is the principal human cause of global warming and climate change.
10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), which causes acid rain and forms small airborne particles that can cause lung damage, heart disease, and other illnesses.
10,200 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), equivalent to half a million late-model cars. NOx leads to formation of smog, which inflames lung tissue and increases susceptibility to respiratory illness.
500 tons of small airborne particles, which can cause bronchitis, reductions in lung function, increased hospital and emergency room admissions, and premature death.^[2]
220 tons of hydrocarbons, which contribute to smog formation.
720 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), which causes headaches and places additional stress on people with heart disease.
170 pounds of mercury. 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury deposited in a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat. Mercury also causes learning disabilities, brain damage, and neurological disorders.^[3]
225 pounds of arsenic, which leads to cancer in 1 out of 100 people who drink water containing 50 parts per billion.
114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium, and other toxic heavy metals. These toxic metals can accumulate in human and animal tissue and cause serious health problems, including mental retardation, developmental disorders, and damage to the nervous system.^[4]^[5]

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Solid waste from coal-fired power plants

Solid waste from a typical 500MW coal plant contains 120,000 tons of ash and 193,000 tons of sludge from the smokestack scrubber. In the U.S. more than 75 percent of this waste is disposed of in unlined, unmonitored landfills and surface impoundments. Toxic substances in ash and sludge include arsenic, mercury, chromium, and cadmium.^[6]

There is no federal regulation for the disposal of fly ash. A 2007 EPA report cited 67 cases in the United States of damage to ground or surface water from coal-combustion products.^[7]

In addition, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory estimates that in an average year, a typical 1000MW coal plant releases significant amounts of radioactive material, including 5.2 tons of uranium and 12.8 tons of thorium.^[8]

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Coal mining

Coal mining also has a number of adverse effects on the environment. According to the World Coal Institute, these include the release of methane (CH₄), a potent greenhouse gas estimated to account for 18% of the overall global warming effect triggered by human activities (CO₂ is estimated to contribute 50%).^[9] The use of explosives releases carbon monoxide (CO), which poses a health risk for mine workers. Dust and coal particles stirred up during the mining process, as well as the soot released during coal transport, can cause severe and potentially deadly respiratory problems.^[10]

Coal mining is also frequently associated with water pollution. Sulfuric acid forms when coal is exposed to air and water, and can leech into streams, acidifying the water and killing fish, plants, and aquatic animals.^[9] Seepage from coal waste pits can also infect local water supplies.^[10]

In addition to causing air and water pollution, coal mining drastically alters the landscape and can render land unfit for other purposes. The clearing of trees, plants, and topsoil from mining areas destroys forests and natural wildlife habitats. It also promotes soil erosion and flooding, and stirs up dust pollution that can lead to respiratory problems in nearby communities. In mountaintop removal mining, most common in the Appalachian region of the U.S., mountaintops are literally blown off to reach coal seams, with the waste products deposited into valleys below, causing permanent damage to the landscape and the local ecosystem. According to the Sierra Club, this practice has "damaged or destroyed approximately 1,200 miles of streams, disrupted drinking water supplies, flooded communities, eliminated forests, and destroyed wildlife habitat. Coal companies have created at least 6,800 fills to hold their mining wastes, and the government estimates that if this mining continues unabated in Appalachia it will destroy 1.4 million acres of land by 2020."^[10]

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