Death & Disease. Fine Particles. Coal Fired Power Plants - MVCAC

21 Feb 2011


      The attached press release is for your information.  Duane  Nichols
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Death and Disease from  Fine Particle Pollution by Coal Fired Power Plants 
in 2010 in West  Virginia 
The people and  land of West Virginia pay many of the true costs of coal. 
One example is  detailed in the report of a new study. These are “externalized
” costs, costs  created by the coal industry but paid by us in a backdoor 
subsidy. It is paid in  dollars as well as lives and health. 
The Clean Air  Task Force commissioned studies in 2000 and 2004, with a new 
update for 2010.  The study is narrow and focused on one dimension of the 
costs we as citizens  pay: death and disease from fine particle pollution by 
coal fired power plants.  The information is in the table below. The table 
lists an assortment of power  plants around the state, and the deaths and 
disease incidents attributable to  that specific power plant. Note that this is 
only a partial list of West  Virginia power plants.
Death and Disease  from Fine Particle Pollution by Coal Fired Power Plants  
2010   
Power  Plant  
Deaths  
Heart  
Asthma  
Hospital  
Chronic  
Asthma  ER
Attacks  
Attacks  
Admissions  
Bronchitis  
Visits
Albright  
18  
29  
280  
13  
11  
14   
Preston Co
Amos  
87  
140  
1400  
65  
52  
70   
Putnam Co
Fort Martin  
150  
240  
2300  
110  
88  
110   
Monongalia Co
Harrison  
28  
45  
440  
21  
17  
22   
Harrison Co
Kanawha  
40  
63  
640  
31  
24  
33   
Kanawha Co
Mitchell  
51  
83  
780  
38  
30  
39   
Marshall Co
Mt.  Storm  
47  
75  
740  
35  
28  
37   
Grant Co
Pleasants  
41  
66  
640  
31  
24  
33   
Pleasants Co
Sporn  
110  
180  
1700  
84  
66  
89   
Mason Co  
Data Source: Clean Air Task  Force  
_http://www.catf.us/coal/problems/power_plants/existing/map.php?state=West_V
irginia_ 
(http://www.catf.us/coal/problems/power_plants/existing/map.php?state=West_Vi...) 
The data is  cold and crisp, but indeed stark. For example, this kind of 
pollution from  Allegheny Energy’s Albright plant in Preston County was 
responsible for 18  deaths and 29 heart attacks in 2010. 
Is there a  solution? Yes - it’s one that’s well-known. We should be 
phasing out coal-fired  power plants. We can do this by making new commitments to 
electric energy  conservation and efficiency, while expanding renewable 
energy and the thousands  of jobs it will bring. 
The full report is  available online at: 
_http://www.catf.us/coal/problems/power_plants/existing/map.php?state=West_Vi... 
(http://www.catf.us/coal/problems/power_plants/existing/map.php?state=West_Vi...)  
Contact:
Jim Sconyers
Chair, West Virginia Sierra  Club
304.698.9628
_jim_scon@yahoo.com_ (mailto:jim_scon@yahoo.com)
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