Harmful Effects of Coal Power

Coal is a fossil fuel formed from sedimentary rock and is the largest source of power for electricity worldwide. Coal is extracted by means of industrial mining, whereupon it is burned in industrial power plants for energy. When compared with the rising costs of oil and natural gas coal is commonly touted as a cheap source of energy; however, critics maintain that coal power takes a weighty toll on both the environment and human health.

Mining

• The process of mining coal causes a number of harmful environmental and health effects. When mined coal comes into contact with water and air, the combination produces sulfuric acid, which can destroy the fertility of soil, pollute rivers and streams, and also damage aquatic life that is sensitive to changes in the pH level. A 2008 statement from the National Resources Defense Council reports that mining is one of the most dangerous professions, and poses a level of hazard roughly five times that of the average private workplace.

Health

• While mining is harmful to human health, research shows that workers in coal-burning power plants suffer even more adverse health effects. A study undertaken by the Clean Air Task Force in 2004 found that workers in coal-burning power plants had lower than average life spans and significantly high rates of lung cancer. Sulfur, which exists in coal, is released as sulfur dioxide when coal is burned for fuel. Sulfur dioxide is highly harmful to human health, and associated with skin irritation, asthma, lung cancer and bronchitis.

Greenhouse Gases

• The process of burning coal for fuel releases carbon dioxide into the environment. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Environmental Protection Agency causes climate change and global warming. Coal is responsible for the majority of man-made carbon dioxide released into the air. Additionally, when carbon dioxide emissions react with water, they form carbonic acid. In 2007, the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology warned that carbonic acid becomes a type of acid rain, which then returns to the earth as a corrosive and toxic substance, and plays a devastating role in the increasing acidification of the ocean.

Toxic Waste

• Burning coal generates hundreds of millions of tons of chemical waste that contain heavy metals, such as mercury, lead and arsenic, all of which are toxic to human and ecological health. These harmful byproducts of coal power contaminate local water supplies and leech into the soil, thereby introducing poisons to regional agricultural areas and animals. Coal also contains low levels of radioactive isotopes, such as uranium and radium, which can cause environmental radiation contamination. A 2007 article in "Scientific American" presents evidence that coal ash, a residue of coal combustion is more radioactive than nuclear waste. Additionally, ash, which is generated in bulk by coal power plants, presents a serious challenge for safe disposal. Ash can enter water systems and when released in the air also poses dangers to the health of humans and vegetation.