Hazardous pollutants from electricity generation

["ERIC GOLDIN"<goldinem@songs.sce.com>]

     EPA has just published a report on utility air emissions.  I've 
     only glanced through the executive summary, but here's some of 
     the conclusions:  Mercury was identified as the most hazardous 
     pollutant.  Radionuclides were studied as a high priority 
     pollutant.  Cancer deaths were attributed to the public from the 
     various pollutants, presumably using a linear non-threshold 
     model.  As you might anticipate, coal-fired units contributed 
     some dose to members of the public from radionuclides, but I 
     didn't see any reference to nuclear plants.  Since my 
     understanding is that nuclear plants emit less airborne 
     radioactivity than coal plants, it is unfortunate that EPA didn't 
     do a comparative study.  It would have clearly shown nuclear 
     plants to be a better environmental choice (from an air pollutant 
     perspective) than other forms of generation (although EPA said 
     natural gas-fired plants were very clean).  The internet link is:
     
     <http://www.epa.gov/airlinks/>
     
     See Federal Register: March 3, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 41)
     [Page 10378-10379]
     
     ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
     
     [FRL-5972-9]
     
     Electric Utility Hazardous Air Pollutant Study Final Report to 
     Congress
     
     AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
     
     ACTION: Notice of Document Availability.
     
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     SUMMARY: The Final Report to Congress on the EPA's Electric 
     Utility Hazardous Air Pollutant Study (hereafter ``Final 
     Report'') has been completed. This Final Report was prepared by 
     the EPA in response to section 112(n)(1)(A) of the Clean Air Act 
     as amended in 1990 (hereafter ``the Act''), which required the 
     EPA to submit to Congress the results of a study of emissions of 
     hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from electric utility steam 
     generating units (utilities) and on the hazards to public health 
     reasonably anticipated to occur as a result of these emissions. 
     Congress directed that the report describe alternative control 
     strategies for HAP emissions which may warrant regulation.
     
     Eric Goldin
     Southern California Edison
     <goldinem@songs.sce.com>