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Small ParticulatesA typical 500 MW coal-fired power plant emits 500 tons of small particulates per year, which are a major health hazard. Small particulates that are emitted from coal plants are composed primarily of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and soot. The adverse health effects of particulates are linked directly to size, with small particulates, which mostly come from combustion, being the most dangerous. This is because the small particulates can be inhaled deeper into the lungs than larger ones, eventually settling into areas where the body’s natural cleaning system cannot remove them. As of now, particulates smaller than 10 microns are not regulated, but they may be soon. According to the World Health Organization, there is no threshold below which particulate pollution does not have some adverse health effects. We can see the negative effects of small particulates all around us here in the West. In Denver, an increase of small particulates of just 10 micrograms per cubic meter resulted in an 11.5% increase in asthma attacks. And in Utah County that same increase caused an 11-12% increase in bronchodilator use – a medication that treats breathing difficulties caused by particulate pollution. In addition to asthma attacks, small particulates have been shown to acutely cause heart rate variability and heart attacks. Some studies have even shown that a short, sudden increase in particulate matter can cause a 20% increase in mortality. Chronic exposure to small particulates results in cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and premature death. The health effects from small particulates are so large that they are estimated to shorten the lives of 30,000 Americans every year. A typical 500 MW coal-fired power plant emits 500 tons of small particulates per year, which are a major health hazard. Small particulates that are emitted from coal plants are composed primarily of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and soot. The adverse health effects of particulates are linked directly to size, with small particulates, which mostly come from combustion, being the most dangerous. This is because the small particulates can be inhaled deeper into the lungs than larger ones, eventually settling into areas where the body’s natural cleaning system cannot remove them. As of now, particulates smaller than 10 microns are not regulated, but they may be soon. According to the World Health Organization, there is no threshold below which particulate pollution does not have some adverse health effects. We can see the negative effects of small particulates all around us here in the West. In Denver, an increase of small particulates of just 10 micrograms per cubic meter resulted in an 11.5% increase in asthma attacks. And in Utah County that same increase caused an 11-12% increase in bronchodilator use – a medication that treats breathing difficulties caused by particulate pollution. In addition to asthma attacks, small particulates have been shown to acutely cause heart rate variability and heart attacks. Some studies have even shown that a short, sudden increase in particulate matter can cause a 20% increase in mortality. Chronic exposure to small particulates results in cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and premature death. The health effects from small particulates are so large that they are estimated to shorten the lives of 30,000 Americans every year. |
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