Power Plant Pollution Linked to 30,000 Premature Deaths Each Year

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

Power Plant Pollution Linked to 30,000 Premature Deaths Each Year
By Brian Hansen

WASHINGTON, DC, October 17, 2000 (ENS) - Pollution generated by
U.S. power plants is responsible for cutting short the lives of over
30,000 Americans each year, more deaths than are caused by
murderers or drunk drivers. 

The figures are contained in a groundbreaking new report unveiled
today by a coalition of environmental and public health groups. 

The report, which puts forth a damning indictment of U.S. regulatory
policies, is titled, "Death, Disease and Dirty Power: Mortality and
Health Damage Due to Air Pollution from Power Plants." 

The analysis is the first ever attempt to quantify the deaths and
other health effects attributable exclusively to the fine particle
pollution produced by the nation's coal and oil fired power plants. 

As of January 1, 1999, coal fired capacity represented 40 percent of the
nation's electric generating capacity in 1998. Gas fired capacity
accounted for 21 percent; nuclear for 13 percent; hydroelectricity for
13 percent; petroleum for 9.3 percent; and renewables for 2.8 percent. 

<snip>

The full text of the Clear the Air report on the health effects of
power plant pollution is available on the group's Web site, located at
http://www.cleartheair.org. 

Complete news story at:
http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2000/2000L-10-17-15.html

My comment: 

I noted that this report doesn't attempt to quantify the deaths due to
resource extraction (coal mining, oil drilling) or transportation,
although the numbers cited for pollution deaths make for an interesting
comparison to the 23 excess deaths predicted from exposure to radiation
from transport of nuclear waste.

I expect that these estimates suffer from the same shortcomings as do
the risk assessments done on the nuclear power cycle, so don't be quick
to hold them up as gospel.

Any opinions expressed are my own.

Regards,
Susan
-- 
.....................................................
Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee
                       -----                       
The LOC newsletter "Insights" is posted on our Web site
http://www.local-oversight.org - E-mail loc@icx.net 
.....................................................
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html