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A 2004 study commissioned by environmental groups, but contested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, concluded that coal burning costs 24,000 lives a year in the United States. [30] More recently, an academic study estimated that the premature deaths from coal related air pollution was about 52,000 each year. [31]
The combustion of coal releases diverse chemicals into the air. The main products are water and carbon dioxide, just like the combustion of petroleum. Also released are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, as well as some mercury. The residue remaining after combustion, coal ash often contains arsenic, mercury, and lead. Finally, the burning of ...
The environmental factors of the coal industry are not only impacting air pollution, water management and land use but also is causing severe health effects by the burning of the coal. Air pollution is increasing in numbers of toxins such as mercury, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other heavy metals. [93]
Coal power plants in this country are the largest single manmade source of mercury pollutants, which enter the food chain through fish and other items that people consume.
The effect of fly ash on the environment can vary based on the thermal power plant where it is produced, as well as the proportion of fly ash to bottom ash in the waste product. [70] This is due to the different chemical make-up of the coal based on the geology of the area the coal is found and the burning process of the coal in the power plant.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (CO 2), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate change. The largest annual emissions are from China followed by the United States.
The International Energy Agency and others report that oil & gas use comprises over 55% (18 billion tons) of the recorded 32.8 billion tons (BT) of CO 2 released into the atmosphere from all energy sources in year 2017. [11] [12] Coal use comprised most of the remaining 45%.
Human-made sulfate aerosols, primarily from burning oil and coal, affect the behavior of clouds. [4] When aerosols absorb pollutants, it facilitates the deposition of pollutants to the surface of the earth as well as to bodies of water. [5] This has the potential to be damaging to both the environment and human health.