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

["Pollan, Paul B." <PBPOLLAN@southernco.com>]

Just another reason to promote and utilize nuclear power plants.  - 

-just another environmentalist for nuclear power

Paul Pollan, RRPT
Southern Nuclear
pbpollan@southernco.com



> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Susan Gawarecki [SMTP:loc@icx.net]
> Sent:	Wednesday, October 18, 2000 6:29 PM
> To:	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:	Power Plant Pollution Linked to 30,000 Premature Deaths Each
> Year
> 
> 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
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> .....................................................
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