Burning coal for electricity also creates several different types of
liquid and solid wastes that are known collectively as coal combustion
wastes. Taken together, the amount of coal combustion
wastes produced is staggering: more than 120 million solid tons
every year.18 This waste alone is enough to fill a million railcars
every year, or a train that is 9,600 miles long.19
Not only is it challenging to find a place to store so much coal
combustion waste safely, but even after it is stored coal combustion
waste can leak out and pollute the surrounding environment
and groundwater. Containing elements like lead,
mercury, and arsenic in toxic doses,20 coal combustion wastes
and their pollution have been shown to cause illness and death
in plants and animals. In humans, where the greatest exposure
risk is from polluted groundwater and drinking water,21
the toxins have been linked to organ disease, increased cancer,
respiratory illness, neurological damage, and developmental
problems.22 In one study, the EPA estimated that more than
21 million people, including more than six million children,
lived within five miles of a coal-fired power plant,23 a daunting
figure considering that most coal combustion wastes are
stored onsite.
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