Ethical concerns about the production of energy from Coal

 Ø Environmental Impacts

Coal-fired power plants use large quantities of water for producing steam and for cooling. When coal-fired power plants remove water from a lake or river, fish and other aquatic life can be affected, as well as animals and people who depend on these aquatic resources.

Further, if rain falls on coal stored in piles outside the power plant, the water that runs off these piles can flush heavy metals from the coal, such as arsenic and lead, into nearby bodies of water. Coal mining can also contaminate bodies of water with heavy metals when the water used to clean the coal is discharged back into the environment.

The burning of coal creates solid waste, called ash, which is composed primarily of metal oxides and alkali.On average, the ash content of coal is 10 percent.Solidwaste is also created at coal mines when coal is cleaned and at power plants when air pollutants are removed from the stack gas.

Ø  Health impacts

§  Respiratory Effects:

Specific pollutants from burning coal that cause a negative health effect on the respiratory system include particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and oxides of nitrogen such as NO2. The mechanism injury to the airways and lungs via damage to cells caused by oxidizing molecules in pollutants. This leads to inflammation, cytotoxicity, and cell death.

§  Cardiovascular Effects:

Coal-fired power plants contribute to the global burden of cardiovascular disease primarily through the emission of particulate matter. Particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter have been causally linked to cardiovascular disease anddeath.The mechanism of cardiovascular injury is the same as for the respiratory system: oxidative stress from oxidizing molecules in pollutants leads to inflammation and cytotoxicity. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide, 5% of cardiopulmonary deaths are due to particulate matterpollution.Air pollution from coal plants affects respiratory and cardiovascular systems, causes abnormal neurological development in children, poor growth of the fetus before birth, and cancer.

§  Reproductive Health:

A literature review of air pollution’s effects on pregnancy outcomes suggests that the evidence is sufficient to conclude that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy can cause low birthweight.Researchers have studied the association between electricity generation from coalfired power plants and infant mortality.Infant mortality was shown to increase with increased coal consumption in countries that had mid to low infant mortality rate.

§  Neurological  Effects:

Mercury Coal contains many naturally-occurring heavy metals, including mercury. When coal is burned, mercury is emitted into the atmosphere in gaseous form.The mercury emitted into the atmosphere from coal-burning power plants is deposited into waterways, converted to methylmercury, and passed up the aquatic food chain.Consumption of methyl mercury-contaminated fish, from mercury emissions locally, regionally, and internationally, by pregnant women can cause developmental effects in their offspring such as lower intelligence levels, delayedneurodevelopment, and subtle changes in vision, memory, and language.A study modeling the effect of coal use for power generation on life expectancy found that the use of coal predicted a decrease in life expectancy in countries with moderate life expectancy.