CC After adjustment for potential confounders, the associations between proximity to power plants and adverse birth outcomes remained consistent. Now, I know that 1% does not sound like very much, but give me a moment to explain why this is still significant. We also created 20 km buffers around each birth and determined the total number of power plants within this buffer (Table4). We wish to thank the Florida Department of Health for supplying the data. If a community is at or above the 80thpercentile nationally, it means that the community's population for a given demographic (for example, low-income) is an equal or higher percentage than where 80%of the U.S. population lives. Regional energy information including dashboards, maps, data, and analyses. All rights reserved. Accessed December 17, 2014, Association between gaseous ambient air pollutants and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Vancouver, Canada, Ambient air pollution and term birth weight in Texas from 1998 to 2004, Traffic-related air toxics and term low birth weight in Los Angeles County, California, Association between local traffic-generated air pollution and preeclampsia and preterm delivery in the south coast air basin of California, Emissions of Hazardous Air Pollutants from Coal-fired Power Plants, Exposure to air pollution during different gestational phases contributes to risks of low birth weight, Congenital abnormalities and indicators of germinal mutations in the vicinity of the Paks nuclear plant, Hungary, Risk factors for low birth weight: a review. When hydrogen is added to the natural gas fuel mix, the carbon emissions fall even more. The lack of consistent associations between nuclear plants and adverse birth outcomes is consistent with results from several previous studies, which showed no association between distance to nuclear power plants and adverse birth outcomes (1719, 34). All active power plants during the study period and eligible births were geocoded and mapped using ArcGIS V10.1 (ESRI, Redlands, California). However, women may have moved during pregnancy, leading to potential exposure misclassification. Author affiliations: Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (Sandie Ha, Hui Hu, Xiaohui Xu); Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (Jeffrey Roth); and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China (Haidong Kan). Wilhelm M A detailed description of this method was reported elsewhere (23). One of the reasons for the differences may be a result of the spatial clustering of power plants. T For VPTD, only oil and solid waste plants had significant associations. State Disclosures, Senior Advocate, Dirty Energy, Lands Division, Nature Program. FHA insures home mortgages to help Americans buy homes. We unfortunately did not have residential mobility information to address this issue. Some places in the country, however, still have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet. The type of nearest power plant was also identified by fuel type. Official websites use .gov Furthermore, although power plant emissions are 1 of the major point sources of air pollution (21), which has been shown to have consistent association with adverse birth outcomes (22), there is limited information on air pollution exposure and pregnant women living close to specific types of power plants. This finding has also been observed in Taiwan by Tsai et al. Accessed March 8, 2014, Combining different sources of particulate data using Bayesian space-time modeling, First trimester exposure to ambient air pollution, pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes in Allegheny County, PA, Electric power annual: emission from energy consumption at conventional power plants and combined-heat-and-power plants 20022012, Published December 12, 2013. Chen Because living near power plants may expose people to additional sources of air pollution, this proximity may increase their risk of having negative health endpoints. A) Daily concentrations of PM2.5 during the study period 20032005 at power plants; B) mean daily PM2.5 concentration at residential address during the first trimester for births in Florida from 2004 to 2005. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. Wiesel Note: The demographic information is obtained from the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey (ACS) 2014-2018 5-year summary file data, which is based on 2018 Census boundaries. Rajagopalan We also found that gas and oil plants had a positive association with adverse birth outcomes, especially PTD and VPTD. According to projections from the California Air Resources Board, stationary sources account for roughly 21% of NOx emissions, while mobile sources account for a whopping 74% of NOx emission in the state. However, studies on residential mobility and its effects on air pollution assessment suggest a very low degree of misclassification (42, 43). T See the health effects of ozoneand particulate matter pollution. Moreover, there is recent evidence suggesting that harmful emissions from power plants may be increasing (16). We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. SI Figure1 shows a map of the spatial distribution of active power plants and the average annual PM2.5 concentrations in Florida during 20032005. Particulate matter and ozone cause the extensive list of adverse health outcomes you hear at the end of a prescription drug commercial shortness of breath, heart attacks, premature death; the list goes on. The final reason to be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants is that it may get worse in the coming years. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. SS H et al. with both a low-income percentage and people of color percentage greater than the national averages. Neuberger Accessed December 6, 2014, US Power Plant Global Warming Emissions Rising in 2013 AfterYears of Decline, Birth defects in the vicinity of nuclear power plants in Germany, Congenital anomalies, prematurity, and low birth weight rates in relation to nuclear power plant proximity, Pregnancy outcome of women in the vicinity of nuclear power plants in Taiwan, Increased risk of preterm delivery in women residing near thermal power plants in Taiwan, Using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model to estimate public health impacts of PM, Maternal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) and pregnancy outcomes: a meta-analysis, The effects of air pollution on adverse birth outcomes, Fuel sources and carbon dioxide emissions by electric power plants in the United States, Published March 2009. Catov WebAs long as you follow sensible natural gas safety precaution and understand what to do in a gas leak, natural gas is safe in the home. To compare continuous and categorical characteristics for participants with and without the 3 adverse birth outcomes, we performed t tests and 2 tests. Learn more. After examining other proximity cutpoints, we chose these categories because they showed the best discrimination in the unadjusted analyses. et al. Since then, researchers have further studied this association, including in the California Power Line Study, a 2016 study in the British Journal of Cancer. et al. Can living near a nuclear power plant cause cancer? In the continuous exposure analyses, only solid waste plants (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.04) had an association with term LBW for each 5-km decrease in distance. et al. Such information would be valuable in public health efforts to reduce adverse birth outcomes. . et al. Initial calculations conducted by the USB determined that about 400,000 standard cubic feet of natural gas had been released into the atmosphere within the 10 minutes prior to the incident. When natural gas arrives at the locations where it will be used (usually through large pipelines), it flows into smaller diameter pipelines called mains and then into smaller service lines that go directly to homes or buildings. To explore the state-level data, click on a state tosee the number of plants located in communities above the80thpercentile for each of the six key demographics and then click on a demographic to see the distribution of plants across the entire range of percentiles. Maps, tools, and resources related to energy disruptions and infrastructure. Some layersare not visible until the map is zoomed in. This study found that women with residential proximity to coal and solid waste plants were exposed to the highest concentrations of PM2.5 during the first trimester, and those closest to nuclear plants were exposed to the lowest concentrations. HS Bremner Hodges The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is home to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). A For example, in Ohio the setback from a home is 100 feet from a well - Zou Four people died last year during a gas blow at a ConAgra Slim Jim factory in North Carolina. Msg & data rates may apply. Natural gas transmission pipelines are wide-diameter pipelines and are often the long-distance portion of natural gas pipeline systems that connect gathering systems in producing areas, natural gas processing plants, and other receipt points to the main consumer service areas. Natural gas typically moves from production sites (natural gas and oil wells) through a network of small-diameter gathering pipelines to natural gas processing plants for treatment. We also used Census 2000 data to determine census block group income as a proxy for neighborhood socioeconomic status and urbanity. Short, timely articles with graphics on energy, facts, issues, and trends. H We further identified that solid waste plants had the strongest association with term LBW, while oil, gas, and solid waste plants all had strong associations with PTD and VPTD. et al. This practice, although common, is inherently unsafe. Liu S Furthermore, among the case groups, the percentages of women who had lower education, were black, lived in neighborhoods with lower income, were unmarried, had no prenatal care, smoked, or drank alcohol during pregnancy were higher compared with those in the control group (Table1). S Holstrom compared the gas volume to filling a pro-basketball stadium, from floor to ceiling, with explosive gas. The standard 300 mm safety distance used to place natural gas pipe away from water pipeline facilities needs to be reviewed to consider accidental damage and provide safety cushion to the natural gas pipe. R Stolz Few studies have assessed the associations between residential proximity to power plants and adverse birth outcomes including preterm delivery (PTD), very preterm delivery (VPTD), and term low birth weight (LBW). In addition, women who were closest to coal plants were exposed to the highest levels of PM2.5 (mean = 10.7 (standard deviation (SD), 2.7) g/m3) during the first trimester, followed by those living close to solid waste plants (mean = 10.1 (SD, 1.8) g/m3), gas plants (mean = 9.5 (SD, 2.1) g/m3), and oil plants (mean = 9.3 (SD, 1.8) g/m3). Zhang First, analysis of proximity as both a continuous variable and as a categorical variable addresses exposure-response relationships, but it does so in different ways with different assumptions. How Much Land Would it Require to Get Most of Our Electricity from Wind and Solar? The following map identifies thelocations of power plants and highlights the key demographics of people living within threemiles of those plants. 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge MA 02138, USA Sign up for email subcriptions to receive messages about specific EIA products. G Infrared video showing natural gas air pollution emissions at an Energy Corporation of America compressor station in Greene County, Pa., which is located about As close as you want, just not very close to the plant. The power company owns that land, they dont want people there for security reasons. Yli-Tuomi The national averages of low-income population and the people of color population are drawn as reference lines forcomparison. Natural gas is a relatively clean burning fossil fuel. Ha Consequently, daily activity patterns cannot entirely explain the increased risk that we found. However, in addition to adjustment for maternal education, which serves as a proxy for socioeconomic status, we also adjusted for census-tract-level median household income from the US Census 2000 to control for ecological (or population-level) socioeconomic status factors. When stratified by type of plants in order to compare birth outcomes among women who lived close to or farther from different types of power plants, our data showed that solid waste plants had associations with all adverse birth outcomes. EPA is committed to Environmental Justice (EJ) - the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people. Distance from the nearest power plants was measured in kilometers. Crude oil, gasoline, heating oil, diesel, propane, and other liquids including biofuels and natural gas liquids. update email soon. R B I dont think it matters. You can walk around in a nuclear reactor perfectly safely now. I dont believe that there are any negative health effects Natural gas is stored in large volumes in underground facilities and in smaller volumes in tanks above or below ground. It is based on nationally consistent data and uses an approach that combines environmental indicatorsand demographics in maps and reports. In addition, when exposure was changed to number of plants within 20 km, coal plants had the highest association with all adverse birth outcomes. All rights reserved. Stieb More information about the Power Plant Retirements map can be foundhere. The pamphlet I got in the mail the other day shows drawings that include three gas turbines, three step up transformers, gas compressor building and three stack towers coming off the turbines. et al. Results were consistent when exposure was categorized by number of power plants. Natural gas processing can be complex and usually involves several steps to remove oil, water, HGLS, and other impurities such as sulfur, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide. This association is also consistent with our data that showed, on average, that women close to nuclear plants and other plants were exposed to lower levels of PM2.5. D Would it be safe to live on land that once belonged to a nuclear power plant if that plant had no accidents? If everything had been done properly t Those who were closest to nuclear plants (mean = 7.7 (SD, 1.9) g/m3) and other plants (mean = 8.5 (SD, 2.0) g/m3) were exposed to the lowest levels of PM2.5 (Figure2B; Supplementary Data). Tags: et al. Wellhead natural gas may contain contaminants and hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGLs) that must be removed before the natural gas can be safely transported through high-pressure, long-distance pipelines to consumers. A recent risk analysis estimated that particulate matter less than 2.5 m in diameter (PM2.5) and ozone, estimated from the 2005 air quality level, were responsible for 130,000 and 4,700 excess deaths, respectively (9). In general, PM2.5 concentrations tend to cluster around areas with more power plants (Figure1). Wang a Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, marital status, census block group income, and urban neighborhood. 3rd Second, just because the electric sector is cleaner than the transportation sector does not mean the electric sector is not dirty. Logistic regression models were used to test the hypothesized associations. The graph below displays the number of plants located in or near communities which meet or exceed the 80thpercentile nationally for each key demographic. Seigneur A Given that PM2.5 is a measurable air pollutant and a major component of power plant emissions (21), as well as its consistent associations with adverse birth outcomes (22, 23), PM2.5 can serve as a good indicator for air pollution from power plants. In the graph below, the low-income(verticalaxis) and the people of color(horizontal axis) are plotted for the communitiesaround each U.S. fossil fuel-fired power plant. Mangones A A Fetal sex and preterm birth: Are males at greater risk? SC S The CSB is trying to devise better safety codes for gas blows, but has yet to identify them. D (20), who reported that the odds of PTD were 14 times higher among women who lived within 3 km of a thermal power plant compared with those who lived farther than 3 km. The 50 mile safe distance that the U.S. government recommended to Americans was shown on the map. The percentage of plants located in or near communities with an average greater than the national average is on the right side of the graph (green). We observed a 1.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3, 2.3) increased odds for PTD, 2.2% (95% CI: 1.0, 3.4) for VPTD, and 1.1% (95% CI: 0.2, 2.0) for term LBW for each 5 km closer to any power plant. Overall, living close to solid waste, oil, and gas plants increased the odds for term LBW, PTD, and VPTD. Data analyses were performed by using SAS, version 9.3, software (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina). There were 150 active nonrenewable power plants with different fuel types including 17 coal plants, 66 gas plants, 3 nuclear plants, 28 oil plants, 29 solid waste plants, and 7 plants with other types of fuel (e.g., coke, etc.). The sample prevalence was 2.4% for term LBW, 8.2% for PTD, and 1.5% for VPTD. Uranium fuel, nuclear reactors, generation, spent fuel. Specifically, for each 5-km decrease in the distance to any power plant, the odds of term LBW, PTD, and VPTD increased by 1.1% (odds ratio (OR) = 1.011, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002, 1.020), 1.8% (OR = 1.018, 95% CI: 1.013, 1.023), and 2.2% (OR = 1.022, 95% CI: 1.010, 1.034), respectively. They produce toxic and radioactive waste and spew it into the air, poisoning the environment, sickening people, and causing climate change. Oh wait et al. Because of accumulating evidence of a negative relationship between power plants and human health, a few studies have assessed the association between proximity to nuclear power plants and adverse birth outcomes, but no association was found (1719). Although we chose PM2.5 to validate our exposure, power plants also emit other gaseous pollutants including carbon oxides, sulfur dioxide, and nitric oxides (41), all of which are highly correlated (30). 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