This method assumes that pregnant women stayed at those same addresses throughout their pregnancy. Prenatal exposure was assigned to each birth as the average daily PM2.5 concentration over the first trimester for the grid in which it falls. Natural gas provides a cost-effective option for What is a safe distance to live from a nuclear power plant? Martinez See the health effects of ozoneand particulate matter pollution. All types of plants had a slightly elevated association with PTD, except nuclear plants, which had a negative association (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.86, 0.95), and others and coal plants with no associations. 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. Wu Brook This almost-great Raspberry Pi alternative is missing one key feature, This $75 dock turns your Mac Mini into a Mac Studio (sort of), Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus is the Goldilocks of its 2023 smartphone lineup, How the New Space Race Will Drive Innovation, How the metaverse will change the future of work and society, Digital transformation: Trends and insights for success, Software development: Emerging trends and changing roles. Does EIA have maps or information on the location of natural gas and oil pipelines? These results call for further investigation to confirm our results and to investigate the specific pollutants generated from power plants that are responsible for this association. Forsberg WebA gas-fired power plant is a type of fossil fuel power station in which chemical energy stored in natural gas, which is mainly methane, is converted successively into: thermal energy, mechanical energy and, finally, electrical energy.Although they cannot exceed the Carnot cycle limit for conversion of heat energy into useful work the excess heat may be used in The source population was all livebirths recorded by the Florida Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics (Florida Vital Records), from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2005 (n = 445,028). Data from California Air Resources BoardEmissions Projection Analysis. 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. One may argue that potential confounding may be caused by other variables that we did not adjust for. Teng The graph below displays the number of plants located in or near communities which meet or exceed the 80thpercentile nationally for each key demographic. A Biodiesel, renewable diesel, and other biofuels, U.S. Gas blows are routine practice within the industry. Updated March 27, 2012. Tools to customize searches, view specific data sets, study detailed documentation, and access time-series data. Covariates were chosen on the basis of a directed acyclic graph (Supplementary Data available at http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/). Testing RFID blocking cards: Do they work? Yu LT 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). A 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 paper presents a study on underground natural gas pipeline safety distance via experimental and numerical approaches. The final reason to be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants is that it may get worse in the coming years. . Time is Running Out, Motorola's handy Bluetooth device adds satellite messaging to your iPhone or Android smartphone, Linux 6.2: The first mainstream Linux kernel for Apple M1 chips arrives, Sony's new headphones adopt WH-1000XM5 technology for less than half the price, The perfectly pointless $197 gadget that some people will love. To help answer questions about environmental justice in the communities around power plants, information on the following six key demographics (e.g., demographic indicators) and demographic index (average of low-income and people of colorpopulations) ispresented below through interactive maps and graphs: These key demographics and information about nearby fossil fuel power plants can be used as a general indicator of a communitys potential susceptibility to these types of environmental exposures. More research is warranted to better understand the causal relationship. Maps by energy source and topic, includes forecast maps. I Fetal sex and preterm birth: Are males at greater risk? 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). Park 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). 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. Zhu Greenhouse gas data, voluntary reporting, electric power plant emissions. Populations found to be particularly vulnerable to environmental pollution include the poor, the elderly, the very young, those already in poor health, and/or indigenous populations. For example, you could filter the data to only display the largest emitting coal-fired plants with neighboring communities above the 80th percentile nationally of low-income population. Weedon The Author 2015. Monthly and yearly energy forecasts, analysis of energy topics, financial analysis, congressional reports. ML (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. 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). Reports requested by congress or otherwise deemed important. Siffel A 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge MA 02138, USA, produces less global warming emissions and air pollution, projections from the California Air Resources Board, concentrated in some of the most socioeconomically and environmentally disadvantaged communities. The fact of the matter is that natural gas power plants still produce a significant amount of air pollution, and thats a problem. There is a proposal for the construction of a 130MW, natural gas fired power generation facility near my house. DM Proximity to any power plant appeared to increase the odds of all adverse birth outcomes for both continuous and categorical exposure in the unadjusted model. B Short, timely articles with graphics on energy, facts, issues, and trends. Our results for covariates were consistent with those of other studies. Checking with the relevant authorities is good.The standard We further stratified analyses for different types of plants. Stieb The type of nearest power plant was also identified by fuel type. Called a gas blow, the operation involved workers streaming natural gas through a pipe at a high velocity in order to remove debris from new piping. spreadsheet presents all the information available through EPA's environmental justice mapping and screening tool,EJSCREEN. However, emissions from natural gas power plants are only a fraction of the emissions from stationary sources, so NOx emissions from natural gas power plants end up being roughly 1% of total NOx emissions in California. A Distance from the nearest power plants was measured in kilometers. Lee For example, among those with term LBW, the percentage of those who lived within 5 km of any power plant (16.1%) was higher than that of controls (14.9%). Nathanson These emissions really can affect local air quality, and that is why this is a problem. H Sign up or text "SCIENCE" to 67369. All active power plants during the study period and eligible births were geocoded and mapped using ArcGIS V10.1 (ESRI, Redlands, California). 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. Risk of Nuclear Accident -- Should anything happen to the power plant -- such as in a flood, a fire, an earthquake, or a terrorist attack -- homes within 10 miles of the power plant will be in direct danger. The association between adverse birth outcomes and total number of power plants within 20 km was determined. RD R DM b Nuclear plants are categorized differently because there are no births with 2 or more nuclear plants within 20 km. Dong State Disclosures, Senior Advocate, Dirty Energy, Lands Division, Nature Program. Do you need one? 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 you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. The main pollutants resulting from natural gas electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or NOx. T Zeitlin Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. SI H When stratifying by different fuel type, we found that only solid waste had an association with term LBW, whereas oil, gas, and solid waste all had an association with PTD and VPTD. Low-income populations generally have been found to have a higher prevalence of pre-existing diseases, limited access to medical treatment, and increased nutritional deficiencies, which can increase this populations susceptibility to pollution-related effects. Recurring messages. 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. Manzanares R While a natural gas-fired power plant emits only about half the carbon dioxide as a coal plant, thats still far from zero. U.S. Chemical Safety Board Lead Investigator Don Holmstrom said in a statement last week: We strongly caution natural gas power plants and other industries against the venting of high-pressure natural gas in or near work sites. 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. et al. 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. Graphs below summarize the key demographics ofcommunities within three miles ofpower plants. On Florida birth certificates, the gestational age in weeks is typically determined by ultrasound measurements. 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. Some power plants also Williams This association remained consistent in our analyses for total number of power plants within a 20 km radius and stratified analyses for different types of power plants. We unfortunately did not have residential mobility information to address this issue. In categorical exposure analyses, no association was found. Includes hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and ethanol. Two logistic regression models were used for each outcome: The first model was unadjusted, and the second model was a parsimonious model adjusted for potential confounders on the basis of our directed acyclic graph (Supplementary Data). JD Su Otos 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge MA 02138, USA A three-mile radius isconsistent with environmental justice literature and studies, including theEJ Screening Reportfor the Clean Power Plan. Seigneur When hydrogen is added to the natural gas fuel mix, the carbon emissions fall even more. 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. Quantifying the risk a Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, education, marital status, census block group income, and urban neighborhood. 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. However, we have also used a fully adjusted model with all covariates in our directed acyclic graph. HL Graham Hu 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). And since half of Californias natural gas power plants are concentrated in some of the most socioeconomically and environmentally disadvantaged communities in the state, these emissions harm communities that are already overburdened with pollution. J 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). Stolz Seen here in photos before and after the accident, the 620-megawatt Kleen Energy plant had been slated to open this summer. et al. et al. 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. For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription. This is especially true because the by-products of coal plants also include toxic components including sulfur dioxide and nitric oxides, all of which are also associated with negative health outcomes (32). 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). PTD was defined as a birth that occurred before 37 but at or after 32 weeks of gestation. 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). 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. Petroeschevsky et al. The content of this manuscript is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders or data provider. 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. 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. Lesson plans, science fair experiments, field trips, teacher guide, and career corner. Lee Living next to natural gas wells is no fun From health threats to truck traffic, from rank odors to sinking property values, Coloradans explain what it's like to live near J 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. Natural gas power plants emit more NOx when they are starting up; on average, they emit anywhere between three and seven times as much NOx during start-up than during one hour of full-load operation. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. SC 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). CA 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. Mangones 2023 ZDNET, A Red Ventures company. Fig. For example, in Ohio the setback from a home is 100 feet from a well - N This practice, although Subscribe to feeds for updates on EIA products including Today in Energy and What's New. In addition, we also overlaid geocoded active power plants and the 12 12 km grids to determine the daily PM2.5 concentrations near the power plants during the study period. JM Nearest distance to a power plant showed significant and negative regression coefficients with four neurobehavioral symptoms: affective problems, anxiety problems, T Demand for natural gas fluctuates daily and seasonally, but production and pipeline imports are relatively constant in the short term. Some towns in Texas have setbacks of up to 1,000 feet from a home, fresh water well, school, hospital or public park. Msg & data rates may apply. HUD goes further and states that "Operating and abandoned oil and gas wells pose potentialhazards to housing, in Ohio the setback from a homeis 100 feet, Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project. The Natural Resources Defense Council works to safeguard the earth - its people, with both a low-income percentage and people of color percentage greater than the national averages. For VPTD, only oil and solid waste plants had significant associations. The photo to the right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the explosion on February 7th. Consequently, daily activity patterns cannot entirely explain the increased risk that we found. Delfino D A blog on science, politics, and activism. Natural gas power accounts for about 20 percent of the nation's electricity. We also found that gas and oil plants had a positive association with adverse birth outcomes, especially PTD and VPTD. 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. MJ KO Williams 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. Because there was evidence of spatial clustering of power plants, distance from power plants may not be the best measure of exposure. SA Crude oil, gasoline, heating oil, diesel, propane, and other liquids including biofuels and natural gas liquids. 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. et al. Ren 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). Compared with pregnant women who lived with no power plants within a 20 km radius, women living near 2 power plants had a 7% increased odds of term LBW (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.12), 12% increased odds of PTD (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.15), and 17% increased odds of VPTD (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.25). 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. 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 Natural gas is a relatively clean burning fossil fuel. Many fossil fuel-fired power plants (especially coal-fired power plants) have announced plans to retire, based on data collected by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). et al. Exposures to levels of particulate matter less than 2.5 m in diameter (PM2.5) stratified by power plant type in Florida from 2003 to 2005. AR In general, PM2.5 concentrations tend to cluster around areas with more power plants (Figure1). Lamson Results were consistent when exposure was categorized by number of power plants. Please click here to see any active alerts. Still, being aware of the characteristics of communities closest to power plants is a starting point in understanding the potential sources of pollution that may impact a community and how changes in a power plants air emissions may affect the air quality experienced by some of those already vulnerable to environmental burdens. Hu 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. a Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, marital status, census block group income, and urban neighborhood. 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. 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. RD It is an environmental justice screening and mapping tool that utilizes standarddata to highlight places that may have higher environmental burdens and vulnerable populations. M Natural gas is burned to generate heat, electricity, and hot water. Burning fossil fuels to produce electricity creates emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), particulate matter (PM), carbon dioxide (CO2),mercury (Hg) and other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), and other pollutants. Abbreviations: aOR, adjusted odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; LBW, low birth weight; OR, odds ratio; PTD, preterm delivery; VPTD, very preterm delivery. Western States Energy Manager/Senior Analyst. Terms, Conditions, and Privacy Policy. JJ C 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. It is based on nationally consistent data and uses an approach that combines environmental indicatorsand demographics in maps and reports. Spengler and a University of Florida Graduate School fellowship (S.H.). Pope These pollutants have been linked to adverse birth outcomes in many studies. H Krewski et al. [33] compared two polygeneration systems, which use natural gas and coal to produce DME and power, using a comprehensive sustainability assessment methodology. Ghosh Second, we use PM2.5 as a surrogate for pollution from power plants to determine 1) the level of pollution exposure during pregnancy for women living close to power plants and 2) whether the amount of pollution depends on fuel type. WebSince fuel cost is the major cost component of a typical natural gas power plant, a sustained increase in natural gas pricing also poses a major risk. SC You may have heard that natural gas is clean. Compared to coal, natural gas produces less global warming emissions and air pollution. Fann Tags: Coal is responsible for over 800,000 premature deaths per year globally and many millions more serious and minor illnesses. Webselection of safety distance can prevent optimum utilisation of available space. Forms EIA uses to collect energy data including descriptions, links to survey instructions, and additional information. . This analysis yielded results consistent with proximity to power plants as a measure of exposure. Some places in the country, however, still have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet. Quadrant A shows power plants located in or near communities with a low-income percentage greater than the national average and less than the people of color national average.
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