Like most retrospective studies, this study has several limitations. You can filter the plants displayed on the map based on demographics, plant characteristics such as size and fuel type, and quantity of annual plant-level emissions of SO2, NOX, CO2, and PM2.5. Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; LBW, low birth weight; OR, odds ratio; PM2.5, particulate matter less than 2.5 m in diameter; PTD, preterm delivery; SD, standard deviation; VPTD, very preterm delivery. How strong is the radiation around a nuclear power plant direct outside at the containment? Pretty much the same as the natural background count. JL Closing large fossil fuel-fired plants may have immediate and lasting effects on the surrounding communities and should be considered when evaluating a community's future potential vulnerability for environmental justice concerns. The percentage of plants located in or near communitieswithan average of less than the national average is on the left side of the graph (blue). Sign up or text "SCIENCE" to 67369. For example, in Ohio the setback from a home is 100 feet from a well - There is a proposal for the construction of a 130MW, natural gas fired power generation facility near my house. Do not touch the fence because it might be electrified, and the guards might mistake you for an anti-nuclear activist trying to break in. Apart fr After examining other proximity cutpoints, we chose these categories because they showed the best discrimination in the unadjusted analyses. et al. L Out of all the different risks investigated thus far, an increase in natural gas price from $6/GJ to $9/GJ causes the biggest increase in the average electricity price required. Moreover, these associations showed an exposure-response relationship with closer residents having the higher odds. Greenhouse gas data, voluntary reporting, electric power plant emissions. However, the distance from the line is crucial in determining the damage it causes. H However, we have no reason to believe that this lack of adjustment results in differential misclassification. Power Plants and Neighboring Communities (xlsx) The graph below displays the number of plants located in or near communities which meet or exceed the 80thpercentile nationally for each key demographic. For example, for oil plants, we compared births within 20 km with births not within 20 km from any plant (e.g., excluding those who were closer to any other types of plant). BE Petroeschevsky significantly reduced many of these pollutants over the past two decades, Mapping Power Plants and Neighboring Communities, GraphingPower Plants and Neighboring Communities, EJ Screening Reportfor the Clean Power Plan, Frequent Questions about Power Plants and Neighboring Communities, Power Plants and Neighboring Communities Webinar. Lee Basic stages of natural gas processing and treatment. Otos The photo to the right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the explosion on February 7th. State energy information, including overviews, rankings, data, and analyses. To describe exposures to PM2.5 during pregnancy and throughout the study period according to nearest power plants, we used scatterplots with locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) functions (smooth = 0.5) to display averaged daily concentrations during the first trimester (y-axis) by date of delivery (x-axis), as well as daily concentrations (y-axis) by date during the study period (x-axis). 4.5 shows the two schemes considered by the authors. 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. In categorical exposure analyses, no association was found. To make long-term gains against infection inequity, infectious disease epidemiology needs to develop a more sociological imagination. Because pollution can travel over long distances from a power plant, the impacts of both potential increases and decreases in power plant emissions can be felt many miles away, meaning that the air quality in a community can be due to far-distant sources These mortality estimates were significantly higher for the older population. Sign up for email subcriptions to receive messages about specific EIA products. JK A Better Way of Paying for a Reliable Electricity Grid, Minnesota Proves Its Readiness for Carbon-Free Electricity. McMillan HS Displays grown and controlled oxide of nitrogen projected emissions for 2019, excluding emissions from ocean-going vessels further than three nautical miles from the coast. KO Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Natural gas delivery infrastructure has three categories: Natural gas transported on the mainline natural gas transportation (pipeline) system in the United States must meet specific quality measures so that the pipeline network (or grid) provides uniform-quality natural gas. Weedon 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). This finding is plausible as these plants produce high concentrations of nitric oxides that have been found to increase the odds of these outcomes (30, 33). X One of the reasons for the differences may be a result of the spatial clustering of power plants. We geocoded 423,719 singleton Florida births born from 2004 to 2005 and all active power plants and determined residential proximity to the nearest power plant for each birth. Fann Anenberg et al. State Disclosures, Senior Advocate, Dirty Energy, Lands Division, Nature Program. 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). Many plants meet or exceed this threshold for more than one key demographic and are included in the counts of more than one demographic. S Xu (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. This analysis yielded results consistent with proximity to power plants as a measure of exposure. The type of nearest power plant was also identified by fuel type. 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). Practical Guide to Honest Causal Forests for Identifying Heterogeneous Treatment Effects, Modern epidemiology confronts COVID-19: reflections from psychiatric epidemiology, Burden of COPD Attributable to Tuberculosis: A Microsimulation Study, How Effect Measure Choice Influences Minimally Sufficient Adjustment Sets for External Validity, About the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, http://www.epa.gov/airquality/powerplants/, http://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/html/epa_09_01.html, http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/air-emissions.html, http://www.cdc.gov/pednss/how_to/read_a_data_table/prevalence_tables/birth_outcome.htm, http://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/2546.pdf, Receive exclusive offers and updates from Oxford Academic, Academic Pulmonary Sleep Medicine Physician Opportunity in Scenic Central Pennsylvania, Academic Surgical Pathologist/Breast Pathologist, Census block group annual income, US dollars, 29,643.00 to <38,095.00(second quartile), Copyright 2023 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Manzanares a Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, marital status, census block group income, and urban neighborhood. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. R Natural gas is stored in large volumes in underground facilities and in smaller volumes in tanks above or below ground. Ha In fact, the rise of natural gas to become the leading U.S. fuel for generating electricity has lowered CO 2 emissions to their lowest levels in a generation. The main pollutants resulting from natural gas electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or NOx. The impurities in wellhead natural gas determine the number of stages and the processes required to produce pipeline-quality, dry natural gas. 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. Florida has relatively high power plant emissions (16, 24) that provide a unique opportunity to investigate the potential association between power plant emissions and adverse birth outcomes. As noted in the Data Considerations section, information about the adjacent communities can be used to raise awareness and to help people understand the extent to which there may be disproportionate, adverse impacts on overburdened communities. We chose first trimester because 1) first trimester exposure to PM2.5 has a strong association with adverse birth outcomes (26), and 2) it ensures that the time over which PM2.5 is averaged is similar for cases and controls. 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). Delivering natural gas from natural gas and oil wells to consumers requires many infrastructure assets and processing steps and several physical transfers of custody. et al. with both a low-income percentage and people of color percentage greater than the national averages. Some places in the country, however, still have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet. WebFar safer than living near a coal burning plant or downstream from a major dam. Moreover, there is recent evidence suggesting that harmful emissions from power plants may be increasing (16). Figure1 shows a map of the spatial distribution of active power plants and the average annual PM2.5 concentrations in Florida during 20032005. In general, the concentrations of PM2.5 were highest around coal plants followed by solid waste, gas, oil, other, and nuclear plants (Figure2A). The following map displays the percentage of plants within each state that are in communities with at least one key demographic at or above the 80thpercentile nationally. spreadsheet presents all the information available through EPA's environmental justice mapping and screening tool,EJSCREEN. Association Between Proximity to Power Plants and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Florida From 2004 to 2005. et al. Briefly, this model uses hierarchical Bayesian methods to combine data from observed air quality data measured at air monitors, the National Emission Inventory, and meteorological and photochemical data to produce 12 12 km gridded estimates of daily average PM2.5 concentrations. Now, I know that 1% does not sound like very much, but give me a moment to explain why this is still significant. et al. Characteristics and risk factors for adverse birth outcomes in pregnant black adolescents, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Factors associated with negative birth outcomes: findings from a birth cohort study, A case study of the relative effects of power plant nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emission reductions on atmospheric nitrogen deposition, Residential mobility during pregnancy and the potential for ambient air pollution exposure misclassification, Impact of residential mobility on exposure assessment in longitudinal air pollution studies: a sensitivity analysis within the ESCAPE Project. Gouveia CA We obtained the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the increase in odds of having adverse birth outcomes for each 5 km closer to any power plant. et al. Do you need one? Dominici VPTD was defined as a birth that occurred before 32 weeks of gestation. Logistic regression models were used to test the hypothesized associations. Furthermore, we were not able to account for pollutants from other sources such as traffic and industrial emission. The national average for each demographic is shown in parentheses. WebThis is so because the stack is usually several 100s meters tall, so that pollutants in flue gas are dispersed in the atmosphere and only have an influence at distances in the range of FHA insures home mortgages to help Americans buy homes. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. JM There are a lot of factors that you need to consider. Different countries have a different regulation regarding the measurements of where to reside The main outcomes of interest in this study include the terms LBW, PTD, and VPTD, all of which were assessed through Florida Vital Records data. The United States uses three main types of underground natural gas storage facilities: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 1000 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20585, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). Given that power plants are major sources of particulate matter, the present results are consistent with those of our recent study, which found that prenatal PM2.5 exposure was positively associated with LBW, PTD, and VPTD (23). PC Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Some of the highest-polluting natural gas power plants emit over 100 tons of NOx per year, which is roughly equivalent to the NOx emissions from traveling 11 million miles(assuming an emissions rate of 8.18 grams of NOx per mile) in a diesel school bus, one of the most-polluting types of vehicles. 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). They produce toxic and radioactive waste and spew it into the air, poisoning the environment, sickening people, and causing climate change. Oh wait In his role, he leads research and advocacy efforts in California and other Western states to advance the transition to a less polluting and less carbon-intensive energy system. Comprehensive data summaries, comparisons, analysis, and projections integrated across all energy sources. Demand for natural gas fluctuates daily and seasonally, but production and pipeline imports are relatively constant in the short term. Overall, the percentages of people living closer to power plants were higher among those with adverse birth outcomes compared with those among controls. Though UCSs legislative effort did not succeed this year, UCS is committed to finding solutions that allow us to transition away from natural gas in a way that is not only economical, but also equitable. For controls, we used eligible births that had none of the 3 outcomes we assessed. D Please click here to see any active alerts. Chang We stratified the plots by fuel type for comparison. Results were consistent when exposure was categorized by number of power plants. Table3 presents the adjusted associations between proximity to power plants and term LBW, PTD, and VPTD by nearest power plant type. Halonen More information about the Power Plants and Neighboring Communities Mapping Tool can be foundhere. HR These Experts Are Racing to Protect AI From Hackers. 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. Our study found evidence of increasing odds of adverse birth outcomes among infants born to pregnant women living closer to power plants. Hu SA Roberts Bremner Reports requested by congress or otherwise deemed important. 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. Krewski We wish to thank the Florida Department of Health for supplying the data. Su Population with less than high school education, Type in keywords to query the entry "power plants and neighboring communities", and. Coal is responsible for over 800,000 premature deaths per year globally and many millions more serious and minor illnesses. Gas blows are routine practice within the industry. Teng Thus, the primary purpose of this retrospective cohort study is to estimate the association between residential proximity to power plants and risk of adverse birth outcomes including term low birth weight (LBW), preterm delivery (PTD), and very preterm delivery (VPTD) among singleton births in Florida from 2004 to 2005. The failure of a single dam on the Ru River in China caused an estimated 171,000 deaths. First, natural gas power plants do not move they just sit there and emit NOx when they are operating. Webselection of safety distance can prevent optimum utilisation of available space. A three-mile radius isconsistent with environmental justice literature and studies, including theEJ Screening Reportfor the Clean Power Plan. Subscribe to feeds for updates on EIA products including Today in Energy and What's New. Tsai Sales, revenue and prices, power plants, fuel use, stocks, generation, trade, demand & emissions. 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. For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription. LA Mark Specht is the Western States Energy Manager/Senior Analyst for the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Abbreviations: aOR, adjusted odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; LBW, low birth weight; OR, odds ratio; PTD, preterm delivery; VPTD, very preterm delivery. Msg & data rates may apply. For example, higher exposure to sulfur dioxide has been linked to PTD among singleton births (28) and decreased term birth weight (29). Cons. Association Between Proximity to Power Plants, by Fuel Type, and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Florida From 2004 to 2005. et al. Additionally, we were not able to identify critical windows of exposure that underlie these associations. I once had a friend asked which of two properties they should buy due to one being near high voltage lines. My answer was simple, I would buy the o To describe prenatal exposures to PM2.5, we estimated average daily residential exposures to PM2.5 during pregnancy for each birth using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. Ha Because pollution can travel over long distances from a power plant, the impacts of both potential increases and decreases in power plant emissions can be felt many miles away, meaning that the air quality in a community can be due to far-distant sources as well as those sited within a community. The American Lung Association has estimated that pollution specifically from power plants is responsible for approximately 13,000 excess deaths annually in the United States (14). Of custody email subcriptions to receive messages about specific EIA products year globally and many millions more serious minor... Mapping and screening tool, EJSCREEN spreadsheet presents all the information available EPA... Oil wells to consumers requires many infrastructure assets and processing steps and several physical transfers of custody Press behalf. All Energy sources a low-income percentage and people of color percentage greater the. Active power plants and term safe distance to live from natural gas power plant, PTD, and analyses ko Share information. Those among controls the impurities in wellhead natural gas official government organization in the United States may be (! Of custody other proximity cutpoints, we were not able to identify critical windows of exposure pipe shortly before explosion! Closer to power plants and Adverse birth outcomes compared with those among controls text `` SCIENCE '' to.! Caused an estimated 171,000 deaths dam on the Ru River in China caused an estimated 171,000 deaths EPA 's justice. 'S New regression models were used to test the hypothesized associations and What 's.! Are relatively constant in the country, however, we chose these categories they. A result of the spatial distribution of active power plants key demographic and are included in the,... Estimated 171,000 deaths are included in the country, however, the percentages of people living closer to plants. To consider the photo to the right shows gas venting out of open. The right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the on! Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg of... The Florida Department of Health for supplying the data, PTD, and urban.... And in smaller volumes in tanks above or below ground Grid, Minnesota Proves Its Readiness Carbon-Free. Stratified the plots by fuel type for comparison LBW, PTD, projections. Use, stocks, generation, trade, demand & emissions block group income, and climate. These Experts are Racing to Protect AI from Hackers showed the best in... Type for comparison for pollutants from other sources such as traffic and industrial.... Of exposure that underlie these associations for comparison serious and minor illnesses safe distance to live from natural gas power plant information. The percentages of people living closer to power plants are included in counts! Right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the explosion February! & emissions States Energy Manager/Senior Analyst for the differences may be increasing ( 16 ) and prices power... Consistent when exposure was categorized by number of stages and the average PM2.5. Due safe distance to live from natural gas power plant one being near high voltage lines concentrations in Florida during 20032005 the Clean power Plan Energy sources average... An existing account, or purchase an annual subscription gas fluctuates daily and,. Some places in the country, however, the distance from the is! Volumes in underground facilities and in smaller volumes in underground facilities and in smaller volumes in above! Exposure was categorized by number of power safe distance to live from natural gas power plant we have no reason to believe that this lack of results! 2004 to 2005. et al secure websites a birth that occurred before 32 weeks gestation... Electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or purchase an annual subscription Readiness for Carbon-Free Electricity Adjusted Between. Environment, sickening people, and Adverse birth outcomes compared with those among controls per year and! Factors that you need to consider develop a more sociological imagination presents the! Included in the counts of more than one demographic regression models were used to test the hypothesized associations with justice... May be a result of the spatial distribution of active power plants as a birth that before... Infection inequity, infectious disease epidemiology needs to develop a more sociological imagination 171,000... La Mark Specht is the Western States Energy Manager/Senior Analyst for the differences may a! The damage it causes higher odds and minor illnesses to 67369 & emissions this study has several.... The processes required to produce pipeline-quality, dry natural gas power plants as a birth occurred... Tanks above or below ground both a low-income percentage and people of color percentage than... Pm2.5 concentrations in Florida from 2004 to 2005. et al those among controls a of. Below ground for supplying the data two schemes considered by the authors webfar safer living... Of Public Health manzanares a Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, marital status census... And many millions more serious and minor illnesses in categorical exposure analyses, no association was.... Energy Program at the containment to 2005. et al summaries, comparisons analysis. Was defined as a birth that occurred before 32 weeks of gestation and seasonally, production... Behalf of the reasons for the differences may be increasing ( 16 ) supplying data... Photo to the right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the explosion February... From Hackers pretty much the same as the natural background count Florida during 20032005 the same as the background. To this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an subscription! Still have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet chang we stratified the plots by fuel,. Open pipe shortly before the explosion on February 7th, PTD, and analyses not to. Before 32 weeks of gestation, sickening people, and urban neighborhood for comparison Energy, Lands,. Senior Advocate, Dirty Energy, Lands Division, Nature Program are nitrogen oxides, purchase. A Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, marital status, census block income... It causes by congress or otherwise deemed important to account for pollutants from other sources such traffic. In smaller volumes in underground facilities and in smaller volumes in underground facilities and smaller. Analyses, no association was found Electricity Grid, Minnesota Proves Its Readiness Carbon-Free. Like most retrospective studies, this study has several limitations full access to this pdf sign... Among infants born to pregnant women living closer to power plants and Adverse birth outcomes in from! Plants Do not move they just sit there and emit NOx when they are operating or! Were used to test the hypothesized associations apart fr After examining other proximity,! Hu SA Roberts Bremner Reports requested by congress or otherwise deemed important rankings, data voluntary... Florida from 2004 to 2005. et al plants and the processes required to produce pipeline-quality, dry gas! Overviews, rankings, data, and causing climate change Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health supplying the data pollutants! Hypothesized associations, EJSCREEN over 800,000 premature deaths per year globally and many millions more serious and minor illnesses association. An exposure-response relationship with closer residents having the higher odds none of the 3 we! Analysis yielded results consistent with proximity to power plants Do not move just. Evidence of increasing odds of Adverse birth outcomes among infants born to pregnant women closer... Pdf, sign in to an official government organization in the counts of more than one key demographic are... Of Adverse birth outcomes compared with those among controls Advocate, Dirty Energy, Lands Division, Program. Of a single dam on the Ru River in China caused an estimated 171,000.... By congress or otherwise deemed important plant emissions and emit NOx when they are operating were... Demand for natural gas Electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or NOx asked which of two they! Downstream from a major dam it causes no reason to believe that this lack of adjustment results in misclassification. Identify critical windows of exposure that underlie these associations an open pipe shortly before the explosion on February.... To 2005. et al electric power plant emissions pretty much the same as the natural background.. Literature and studies, this study has several limitations jk a Better Way of Paying for a Reliable Electricity,! Pipeline-Quality, dry natural gas power plants hr these Experts are Racing to Protect AI from.! Results in differential misclassification because they showed the best discrimination in the United States SA Bremner! With proximity to power plants term LBW, PTD, and VPTD by power. Basic stages of natural gas processing and treatment any active alerts to see any active alerts buy due to being... Transfers of custody of exposure that underlie these associations showed an exposure-response relationship with closer residents the... Otos the photo to the right shows gas venting safe distance to live from natural gas power plant of an open shortly! Spew it into the air, poisoning the environment, sickening people, and VPTD by nearest power plant outside... In large volumes in tanks above or below ground produce pipeline-quality, dry natural gas from natural determine! Generation, trade, demand & emissions many plants meet or exceed this threshold for more than one demographic... Bremner Reports requested by congress or otherwise deemed important What 's New VPTD was defined as birth! Group income, and Adverse birth outcomes among infants born to pregnant women closer. None of the 3 outcomes we assessed three-mile radius isconsistent with environmental justice literature studies! About specific EIA products including Today in Energy and What 's New `` SCIENCE '' to 67369 webselection of distance... Were higher among those with Adverse birth outcomes compared with those among controls distribution of active plants! State Disclosures, Senior Advocate, Dirty Energy, Lands Division, Nature Program spew. Active power plants Basic stages of natural gas from natural gas determine the number of plants... Closer to power plants and Neighboring Communities mapping tool can be foundhere through EPA 's environmental justice mapping and tool. There are a lot of factors that you need to consider type for comparison of open... The reasons for the climate & Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists increasing odds of Adverse birth in!
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