M ML X Prenatal exposure was assigned to each birth as the average daily PM2.5 concentration over the first trimester for the grid in which it falls. Caton BE Natural gas storage during periods of low demand helps to ensure that enough natural gas is available during periods of high demand. et al. keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. While a natural gas-fired power plant emits only about half the carbon dioxide as a coal plant, thats still far from zero. 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Wu Results were consistent when exposure was categorized by number of power plants. Catov For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. Recurring messages. T There were 150 active nonrenewable power plants with different fuel types including 17 coal plants, 66 gas plants, 3 nuclear plants, 28 oil plants, 29 solid waste plants, and 7 plants with other types of fuel (e.g., coke, etc.). . Chang We also analyzed our exposure as a continuous variable and assumed that the association between proximity and the odds of adverse birth outcomes is linear on the logarithmic scale. Closing large fossil fuel-fired plants may have immediate and lasting effects on the surrounding communities and should be considered when evaluating a community's future potential vulnerability for environmental justice concerns. Some of the highest-polluting natural gas power plants emit over 100 tons of NOx per year, which is roughly equivalent to the NOx emissions from traveling 11 million miles(assuming an emissions rate of 8.18 grams of NOx per mile) in a diesel school bus, one of the most-polluting types of vehicles. McMillan In addition to the data presented in these maps and graphs, a its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge MA 02138, USA, produces less global warming emissions and air pollution, projections from the California Air Resources Board, concentrated in some of the most socioeconomically and environmentally disadvantaged communities. Bremner For VPTD, only oil and solid waste plants had significant associations. We observed a 1.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3, 2.3) increased odds for PTD, 2.2% (95% CI: 1.0, 3.4) for VPTD, and 1.1% (95% CI: 0.2, 2.0) for term LBW for each 5 km closer to any power plant. Energy use in homes, commercial buildings, manufacturing, and transportation. Would it be safe to live on land that once belonged to a nuclear power plant if that plant had no accidents? If everything had been done properly t et al. WebThis is so because the stack is usually several 100s meters tall, so that pollutants in flue gas are dispersed in the atmosphere and only have an influence at distances in the range of with both a low-income percentage and people of color percentage greater than the national averages. M Nearest distance to a power plant showed significant and negative regression coefficients with four neurobehavioral symptoms: affective problems, anxiety problems, The results remained consistent when exposure was categorized (Table3). Zou If a community is at or above the 80thpercentile nationally, it means that the community's population for a given demographic (for example, low-income) is an equal or higher percentage than where 80%of the U.S. population lives. The content of this manuscript is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders or data provider. Researchers from this study found no evidence of risk of childhood cancer for families living 164 feet or more from power lines. However, women may have moved during pregnancy, leading to potential exposure misclassification. Reports requested by congress or otherwise deemed important. Lee The sample prevalence was 2.4% for term LBW, 8.2% for PTD, and 1.5% for VPTD. et al. The final reason to be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants is that it may get worse in the coming years. We also compared the odds for different buffer sizes of <5, 59.9, 1019.9, and 20 km from a power plant. Hu Seigneur There is a proposal for the construction of a 130MW, natural gas fired power generation facility near my house. However, emissions from natural gas power plants are only a fraction of the emissions from stationary sources, so NOx emissions from natural gas power plants end up being roughly 1% of total NOx emissions in California. However, the distance from the line is crucial in determining the damage it causes. Because pollution can travel over long distances from a power plant, the impacts of both potential increases and decreases in power plant emissions can be felt many miles away, meaning that the air quality in a community can be due to far-distant sources In addition, nitric oxides have also been linked to term LBW and PTD (30, 31). In populous cities, the percentage of deaths attributable to PM2.5 and ozone ranges from 3.5% in San Jose to 10% in Los Angeles (both in California) (9). Like most retrospective studies, this study has several limitations. 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge MA 02138, USA Natural gas is stored in large volumes in underground facilities and in smaller volumes in tanks above or below ground. Given that power plants are major sources of particulate matter, the present results are consistent with those of our recent study, which found that prenatal PM2.5 exposure was positively associated with LBW, PTD, and VPTD (23). Association Between Proximity to Power Plants and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Florida From 2004 to 2005. Wiesel S A blog on science, politics, and activism. In addition, we also overlaid geocoded active power plants and the 12 12 km grids to determine the daily PM2.5 concentrations near the power plants during the study period. RJ MJ Graphs below summarize the key demographics ofcommunities within three miles ofpower plants. Workers might also use air, steam, nitrogen, or water *in lieu of natural gas. Overall, living close to solid waste, oil, and gas plants increased the odds for term LBW, PTD, and VPTD. For each plant, EPA summarized population percentages ofsix key demographics and demographic indexfor the neighboring communities located within three miles of each plant. C The association between adverse birth outcomes and total number of power plants within 20 km was determined. Thus, the primary purpose of this retrospective cohort study is to estimate the association between residential proximity to power plants and risk of adverse birth outcomes including term low birth weight (LBW), preterm delivery (PTD), and very preterm delivery (VPTD) among singleton births in Florida from 2004 to 2005. Western States Energy Manager/Senior Analyst. HS The fact of the matter is that natural gas power plants still produce a significant amount of air pollution, and thats a problem. X JI The map displays all fossil fuel-fired power plants that supply electricity to the grid. CA LA The following map identifies thelocations of power plants and highlights the key demographics of people living within threemiles of those plants. Czeizel Second, we use PM2.5 as a surrogate for pollution from power plants to determine 1) the level of pollution exposure during pregnancy for women living close to power plants and 2) whether the amount of pollution depends on fuel type. We chose first trimester because 1) first trimester exposure to PM2.5 has a strong association with adverse birth outcomes (26), and 2) it ensures that the time over which PM2.5 is averaged is similar for cases and controls. This almost-great Raspberry Pi alternative is missing one key feature, This $75 dock turns your Mac Mini into a Mac Studio (sort of), Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus is the Goldilocks of its 2023 smartphone lineup, How the New Space Race Will Drive Innovation, How the metaverse will change the future of work and society, Digital transformation: Trends and insights for success, Software development: Emerging trends and changing roles. JM H Can living near a nuclear power plant cause cancer? Queisser-Luft When hydrogen is added to the natural gas fuel mix, the carbon emissions fall even more. For term LBW, only those living between 10 and 20 km away from any power plant had increased odds. This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Exposures to levels of particulate matter less than 2.5 m in diameter (PM2.5) stratified by power plant type in Florida from 2003 to 2005. CC Zeitlin It is possible that socioeconomic status confounded the association that we observed in this study. For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription. M PTD was defined as a birth that occurred before 37 but at or after 32 weeks of gestation. For example, you could filter the data to only display the largest emitting coal-fired plants with neighboring communities above the 80th percentile nationally of low-income population. Proximity to any power plant appeared to increase the odds of all adverse birth outcomes for both continuous and categorical exposure in the unadjusted model. This finding has also been observed in Taiwan by Tsai et al. et al. Anenberg J SI As noted in the Data Considerations section, information about the adjacent communities can be used to raise awareness and to help people understand the extent to which there may be disproportionate, adverse impacts on overburdened communities. WebAs long as you follow sensible natural gas safety precaution and understand what to do in a gas leak, natural gas is safe in the home. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Given that PM2.5 is a measurable air pollutant and a major component of power plant emissions (21), as well as its consistent associations with adverse birth outcomes (22, 23), PM2.5 can serve as a good indicator for air pollution from power plants. Hu A Updated January 2012. Yu The standard 300 mm safety distance used to place natural gas pipe away from water pipeline facilities needs to be reviewed to consider accidental damage and provide safety cushion to the natural gas pipe. EIA's free and open data available as API, Excel add-in, bulk files, and widgets. Ha J On Florida birth certificates, the gestational age in weeks is typically determined by ultrasound measurements. WebGangadharan et al. This generating capacity may likely be replaced by natural gas-fired power plants and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Full understanding of safety distances is typically only achieved when it is too late to implement without significant changes. Terms, Conditions, and Privacy Policy. Monthly and yearly energy forecasts, analysis of energy topics, financial analysis, congressional reports. We obtained the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the increase in odds of having adverse birth outcomes for each 5 km closer to any power plant. Natural gas provides a cost-effective option for (* edit). Some of the highest-polluting natural gas power plants emit over 100 tons of NOx per year, which is roughly equivalent to the NOx emissions from traveling 11 million Exploration and reserves, storage, imports and exports, production, prices, sales. . FHA insures home mortgages to help Americans buy homes. Specifically, for each 5-km decrease in the distance to any power plant, the odds of term LBW, PTD, and VPTD increased by 1.1% (odds ratio (OR) = 1.011, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002, 1.020), 1.8% (OR = 1.018, 95% CI: 1.013, 1.023), and 2.2% (OR = 1.022, 95% CI: 1.010, 1.034), respectively. When stratified by fuel type, coal had the strongest association with all adverse birth outcomes. Gouveia H It is important to note that the impacts of power plant emissions are not limited to a 3-mile radius. Do not touch the fence because it might be electrified, and the guards might mistake you for an anti-nuclear activist trying to break in. Apart fr To make long-term gains against infection inequity, infectious disease epidemiology needs to develop a more sociological imagination. Dong This pattern remained consistent when daily PM2.5 concentrations near different types of power plants were examined. Peng Anderson In New York, power-sector emissions Burning fossil fuels at power plants creates emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), particulate matter (PM), carbon dioxide (CO2),mercury (Hg), and other pollutants. Some places in the country, however, still have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet. Regional energy information including dashboards, maps, data, and analyses. SC Thanks to the Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project (NEOGAP) for this information. Prenatal exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 m in diameter for women living near different types of power plants was also determined by using National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network data. For example, higher exposure to sulfur dioxide has been linked to PTD among singleton births (28) and decreased term birth weight (29). The pamphlet I got in the mail the other day shows drawings that include three gas turbines, three step up transformers, gas compressor building and three stack towers coming off the turbines. M Albaladejo C et al. De Mouzon M Natural gas is burned to generate electricity by passing hot pressurized gases through either a combined-cycle combustion turbine (CCCT) or simple-cycle combustion turbine (SCCT) connected to an electric generator. Natural gas already emits half the CO 2 emissions of a coal-fired power plant. WebFar safer than living near a coal burning plant or downstream from a major dam. Webselection of safety distance can prevent optimum utilisation of available space. and a University of Florida Graduate School fellowship (S.H.). Seen here in photos before and after the accident, the 620-megawatt Kleen Energy plant had been slated to open this summer. To access this combined power plants and neighboring communities data in theEJSCREEN mapping tool, from the mapping tool menu: More information can also be found on the Frequent Questions about Power Plants and Neighboring Communitiespage and in the Power Plants and Neighboring Communities Webinar. R When stratified for different types of power plants, the results remained generally consistent. J JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. 3rd Buonocore We overlaid geocoded residential addresses over the 12 12 km grids. Rabczenko O'Brien For each demographic, the percentages of these communities within three miles of a power plant greater than and less than the national averages are displayed. Chen b Nuclear plants are categorized differently because there are no births with 2 or more nuclear plants within 20 km. Because pollution can travel over long distances from a power plant, the impacts of both potential increases and decreases in power plant emissions can be felt many miles away, meaning that the air quality in a community can be due to far-distant sources as well as those sited within a community. Where do hydrocarbon gas liquids come from? One of the reasons for the differences may be a result of the spatial clustering of power plants. Moreover, there is recent evidence suggesting that harmful emissions from power plants may be increasing (16). Accessed December 17, 2014, Association between gaseous ambient air pollutants and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Vancouver, Canada, Ambient air pollution and term birth weight in Texas from 1998 to 2004, Traffic-related air toxics and term low birth weight in Los Angeles County, California, Association between local traffic-generated air pollution and preeclampsia and preterm delivery in the south coast air basin of California, Emissions of Hazardous Air Pollutants from Coal-fired Power Plants, Exposure to air pollution during different gestational phases contributes to risks of low birth weight, Congenital abnormalities and indicators of germinal mutations in the vicinity of the Paks nuclear plant, Hungary, Risk factors for low birth weight: a review. H Briefly, this model uses hierarchical Bayesian methods to combine data from observed air quality data measured at air monitors, the National Emission Inventory, and meteorological and photochemical data to produce 12 12 km gridded estimates of daily average PM2.5 concentrations. JK The impacts of power plant emissions are not limited to the areas near power plants. During the study period, power plants in the United States emitted an estimated annual average of 2,491,971 metric tons of carbon dioxide, 10,431 metric tons of sulfur dioxide, and 4,212 metric tons of nitric oxides (27). If something happens to go wrong at a nuclear reactor, anyone living in a 10-mile radius of the plant may To explore the state-level data, click on a state tosee the number of plants located in communities above the80thpercentile for each of the six key demographics and then click on a demographic to see the distribution of plants across the entire range of percentiles. Testing RFID blocking cards: Do they work? How strong is the radiation around a nuclear power plant direct outside at the containment? Pretty much the same as the natural background count. Many fossil fuel-fired power plants (especially coal-fired power plants) have announced plans to retire, based on data collected by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). G J spreadsheet presents all the information available through EPA's environmental justice mapping and screening tool,EJSCREEN. SC Stolz The graph will update to show the number of plants in five percentileranges between zero and one hundred for the selected demographic. C All types of plants had a slightly elevated association with PTD, except nuclear plants, which had a negative association (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.86, 0.95), and others and coal plants with no associations. Author affiliations: Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (Sandie Ha, Hui Hu, Xiaohui Xu); Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (Jeffrey Roth); and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China (Haidong Kan). How much NOx is coming from natural gas power plants? That is where things get complicated. Liu et al. et al. These steps and processes may be integrated into one unit or operation, be performed in a different order or at alternative locations (such as a (lease separator, field facilities, or natural gas processing plants), or not be required at all. Quadrant A shows power plants located in or near communities with a low-income percentage greater than the national average and less than the people of color national average. And since half of Californias natural gas power plants are concentrated in some of the most socioeconomically and environmentally disadvantaged communities in the state, these emissions harm communities that are already overburdened with pollution. DM Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Includes hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and ethanol. Liu Halonen In addition, women who were closest to coal plants were exposed to the highest levels of PM2.5 (mean = 10.7 (standard deviation (SD), 2.7) g/m3) during the first trimester, followed by those living close to solid waste plants (mean = 10.1 (SD, 1.8) g/m3), gas plants (mean = 9.5 (SD, 2.1) g/m3), and oil plants (mean = 9.3 (SD, 1.8) g/m3). Setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet financial analysis, congressional.! 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