How Coal Affects Parents
Across the Interior West and nationwide, many parents are taking action to fight coal-fired power plants as they witness first-hand the negative effects of the plants on their children. Pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and small particulates are emitted from coal-fired power plants and cause serious health, especially respiratory, problems.
Coal-fired power plants affect children more than any other age group. Children are particularly susceptible to air pollution for a number of reasons:
- Their immune defense systems have not yet fully developed
- They breathe more rapidly than adults and a larger portion of their body is lung surface, and so they take in more air per minute for their size. Pound for pound children on average breathe 50% more air than adults
- They spend more time outdoors than adults, and so have a greater exposure to air pollutants; and are often exercising when they are outdoors, and so the air pollutants penetrate deeper into their lungs
- 72,000 schools are located within 30 miles of a power plant – and many of these plants are old, outdated and very dirty
Nationwide, over 25 million children live in counties that violate national air quality standards for ozone, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide – all pollutants emitted by coal-fired power plants. And it is clear to our pediatricians that this pollution has serious negative effects on children. Of the 35 million children who live within 30 miles of a power plant, 2 million suffer from asthma. In the past two decades, asthma rates have more than doubled, resulting in six percent of American children now having asthma.
As a parent, you should be able to enjoy the outdoors with their children without having to worry about high pollution levels in the air. You should not have to worry about if your daughter remembers her inhaler when she goes outside to play kickball with her friends.
You can take action to stop the development and operation of dirty coal plants. Just ask the Utah Moms for Clean Air who have banded together to use “the power of moms to clean up Utah’s dirty air.” Check out their website for more information on how parents can lead the fight against coal development and how to get involved.
It is possible and profitable to address growing energy needs in the West through renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures.
Find out Solutions to coal-fired power plants
Learn how to Get Involved! in stopping the development of coal across the West