Coal Ash
What is Coal Ash?
In addition to health hazards caused by mining and burning coal, disposing of coal waste puts communities at risk as well. Every year, the nation’s coal plants produce 140 million tons of coal ash, the toxic waste that is left over after the coal is burned. All that ash has to go somewhere—so it’s dumped in thousands of open-air pits across the nation. At these waste sites, chemicals like arsenic, lead and selenium [1], can leak into the groundwater.
Coal ash is not subject to federal protections [2], and state laws governing coal combustion waste disposal are usually weak or non-existent. The result: millions of tons of coal ash are being stored in ponds, landfills and abandoned mines. Many of these sites lack adequate safeguards, leaving nearby communities at risk from potential large scale disasters like the 2008 coal ash spills which contaminated Tennessee and Alabama.
The Hazards of Coal Ash
The toxins found in coal ash have been linked to organ disease, cancer, respiratory illness, neurological damage and developmental problems. People living with 1 mile of unlined coal ash ponds can have a 1 in 50 risk of cancer [4] —that's more than 2,000 times higher than what EPA considers acceptable.
Exposure to toxic coal ash can lower birth rates, cause tissue disease, slow development and even kill plants and animals, leading to changes in wildlife concentrations and disruptions in entire ecosystems. The toxic pollution from coal ash builds up in exposed animals and plants, causing the pollution to make its way up the food chain when they are eaten. Children are more susceptible to the health impacts of coal ash—and, according to the EPA, 1.54 million children live near coal ash storage sites.
Every part of coal’s life cycle, from mining to burning to disposing of the leftover waste, presents hazards to human health. We need to develop clean energy and reduce our reliance on dirty energy. Join us as we work to move America beyond coal. Take action!
