Your Health

Electricity production is the leading cause of industrial air pollution in the United States. Air pollution comes in the form of smog, soot, acid rain, mercury, particulate matter, and greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide.

According to the American Lung Association, scientists have estimated that the number of deaths in the United States associated with air pollution range from 50,000 to 100,000 per year.

An EPA study found that for every dollar that we have spent on pollution controls since 1970, we have gained $45 in health and environmental benefits: fewer doctor visits, fewer work days lost, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer premature deaths. According to the World Watch Institute, implementing climate policies that will reduce our air pollution could prevent at least eight million deaths in the next two decades.

Power plants, cars, and industry all contribute to air pollution. Read below to see what electricity generation contributes.

How electricity generation affects your health:

66% of the nation's sulfur dioxide (SO2), which causes acid rain, comes from electricity generation. According to the American Lung Association, sulfur dioxide affects breathing, increases respiratory illness, weakens pulmonary defenses and aggravates cardiovascular diseases.

25% of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which react with sunlight to create ground level ozone and smog, come from electricity generation. Ozone and smog irritate the lungs and lower resistance to infections like influenza, according to the American Lung Association.

Ozone (O3) occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere where it is beneficial. However, ozone in the lower atmosphere creates the urban haze which we call smog. Automobiles and electricity generation are the top contributors to ground level ozone. It causes over 1.5 million significant respiratory problems per year in children and adults. Short term effects include coughing, lung irritation and exacerbation of respiratory disease. Long term effects include chronic lung disease and even cancer.

Particulate matter is a type of air pollution more commonly referred to as soot. Exposure to particulate matter is especially harmful to people with lung disease (e.g. asthma, bronchitis, emphysema) and heart disease.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a climate change gas that causes global warming. Global warming can lead to the spread of infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. It also contributes to air quality problems, which increase the health effects of other air pollutants. Long-term effects associated with fossil fuel burning could be even more alarming than air pollution-related deaths today. In the future, tropical diseases could thrive as the earth's climate warms, and deaths due to extreme weather conditions (e.g. hypothermia) could increase.

Nuclear energy poses the unique threats of radioactive waste and radiation. Waste from nuclear energy facilities is dangerous to transport and to dispose of. In addition, there is potential for a disastrous nuclear accident, like Chernobyl. Health effects of radioactive waste include cancer, sterility and even death. Radiation may cause immune system damage, leukemia, miscarriages, stillbirths, deformities and genetic mutations.

Mercury is a highly toxic metal that is released from coal-fired power plants. Mercury accumulates in the fat cells of fish and other animals. When humans eat the fish, they are exposed to mercury. Mercury causes permanent damage to the liver and central nervous system, causing loss of motor function, slurred speech, tunnel vision, and loss of hearing. Mercury is particularly harmful when ingested by pregnant or nursing women as it can cause birth defects and developmental defects. Because mercury accumulates in biological organisms it is constantly being recycled in the environment as it moves up the food chain.

For More Information about Your Health and Electricity:

• Environmental Defense
• Clear the Air
• Electric Power Research Institute
• Natural Resources Defense Council
• American Lung Association
• World Resource Institute
• Nuclear Energy information on environet.net

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*All emissions data, unless otherwise noted, is from the U.S. EPA website,