Gouveia Bell To compare continuous and categorical characteristics for participants with and without the 3 adverse birth outcomes, we performed t tests and 2 tests. The national averages of low-income population and the people of color population are drawn as reference lines forcomparison. These findings are consistent with the fact that coal and solid waste power plants produce relatively larger amounts of particulate emissions compared with other types of power plants. 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). Association Between Number of Plants Within 20 km, by Fuel Type, and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Florida From 2004 to 2005. a Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, maternal education, marital status, census block group income, and urban neighborhood. 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. The photo to the right shows gas venting out of an open pipe shortly before the explosion on February 7th. 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. Terms, Conditions, and Privacy Policy. Senior Energy Analyst, James Gignac This analysis yielded results consistent with proximity to power plants as a measure of exposure. 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. Testing RFID blocking cards: Do they work? Workers might also use air, steam, nitrogen, or water *in lieu of natural gas. Chang WebDifferent countries have a different regulation regarding the measurements of where to reside from the station. We also found that gas and oil plants had a positive association with adverse birth outcomes, especially PTD and VPTD. WebDistance from the nearest power plants was measured in kilometers. 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. Some places in the country, however, still have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet. The national average for each demographic is shown in parentheses. Chen The 50 mile safe distance that the U.S. government recommended to Americans was shown on the map. M S JM L KO Lanki WebGangadharan et al. Natural gas is stored in large volumes in underground facilities and in smaller volumes in tanks above or below ground. TH They produce toxic and radioactive waste and spew it into the air, poisoning the environment, sickening people, and causing climate change. Oh wait How Much Land Would it Require to Get Most of Our Electricity from Wind and Solar? Midwest Senior Policy Manager. How much NOx is coming from natural gas power plants? That is where things get complicated. . In addition, nitric oxides have also been linked to term LBW and PTD (30, 31). We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Fig. First, natural gas power plants do not move they just sit there and emit NOx when they are operating. Wiesel There were 150 active nonrenewable power plants with different fuel types including 17 coal plants, 66 gas plants, 3 nuclear plants, 28 oil plants, 29 solid waste plants, and 7 plants with other types of fuel (e.g., coke, etc.). Natural gas is burned to generate electricity by passing hot pressurized gases through either a combined-cycle combustion turbine (CCCT) or simple-cycle combustion turbine (SCCT) connected to an electric generator. Msg & data rates may apply. Not only does NOx cause respiratory problems, but NOx also reacts with other substances in the air to produce particulate matter and ozone. 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). VPTD was defined as a birth that occurred before 32 weeks of gestation. Initial calculations conducted by the USB determined that about 400,000 standard cubic feet of natural gas had been released into the atmosphere within the 10 minutes prior to the incident. Data from California Air Resources BoardEmissions Projection Analysis. ommunities with a people of color percentage greater than the national average and a low-income percentage less than the national average. 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. Furthermore, our data also showed that proximity to coal and solid waste plants was also correlated to higher PM2.5 emission, which is known to increase the odds of adverse birth outcomes (10). Zeitlin Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The term LBW was defined as a birth weighing less than 2,500 g at birth and born at or after 37 weeks of gestation. Does EIA have maps or information on the location of natural gas and oil pipelines? Moreover, these associations showed an exposure-response relationship with closer residents having the higher odds. et al. T Steve Clemmer Safer practices might involve combustion devises - such as flares - to consume the flammable gas or vapor. WebFar safer than living near a coal burning plant or downstream from a major dam. But HUD goes further and states that "Operating and abandoned oil and gas wells pose potentialhazards to housing, including potential fire, explosion,spray and other pollution.No existing dwelling may be located closer than 300 feet from an active or planned drilling site. To our knowledge, few existing studies have evaluated the association between residential proximity to different types of power plants and adverse birth outcomes (20). J Rajagopalan Some women may spend most of their time outside their residential home; therefore, their exposure may be different from that estimated. Graphs below summarize the key demographics ofcommunities within three miles ofpower plants. Zhu DM 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. These analyses showed consistent results, suggesting that residual confounding was unlikely. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 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. Maps, tools, and resources related to energy disruptions and infrastructure. Mangones Seigneur Morara Wang We also compared the odds for different buffer sizes of <5, 59.9, 1019.9, and 20 km from a power plant. 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 Peacock JK When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. These associations remained consistent for PTD and VPTD when exposures were categorized (Table2). N et al. Delfino Regional energy information including dashboards, maps, data, and analyses. Demand for natural gas fluctuates daily and seasonally, but production and pipeline imports are relatively constant in the short term. Reports requested by congress or otherwise deemed important. RJ For example, the fact that our study showed an increased proportion of females among the term LBW group and a decreased proportion of females among the PTD and VPTD groups confirmed previous findings. Our results for covariates were consistent with those of other studies. Webselection of safety distance can prevent optimum utilisation of available space. Nathanson Sign up or text "SCIENCE" to 67369. Four people died last year during a gas blow at a ConAgra Slim Jim factory in North Carolina. Official websites use .gov CA 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. 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). Receive urgent alerts about opportunities to defend science. The graph below compares the key demographics ofcommunities near power plants to national averages. Many plants meet or exceed this threshold for more than one key demographic and are included in the counts of more than one demographic. et al. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, power plants release toxic chemicals into the air including mercury, heavy metals, and acid gases, all of which are known to be deleterious to human health, especially that of the unborn fetus (15). Which states consume and produce the most natural gas. Thanks for signing up. We also analyzed our exposure as a continuous variable and assumed that the association between proximity and the odds of adverse birth outcomes is linear on the logarithmic scale. These pollutants are known to contribute to adverse health outcomes, including the development of heart or lung diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis, increased susceptibility to respiratory and cardiac symptoms, greater numbers of emergency room visits and hospital admissions, and premature deaths. Natural gas provides a cost-effective option for The electric power sector is a large source of U.S. CO 2 emissions. Bremner When hydrogen is added to the natural gas fuel mix, the carbon emissions fall even more. Cons. Quantifying the risk T Saurel-Cubizolles 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. Coal is responsible for over 800,000 premature deaths per year globally and many millions more serious and minor illnesses. Abbreviations: LBW, low birth weight; PTD, preterm delivery; SD, standard deviation; VPTD, very preterm delivery. Figure2A and 2B illustrate PM2.5 exposure by types of power plants. Underground Natural Gas Storage by Storage Type, The Basics of Underground Natural Gas Storage, Natural Gas Processing: The Crucial Link Between Natural Gas Production and Its Transportation to Market. Demand for these electric plants is increasing, and the thousands of workers who will be constructing them, and working in them, will rely on better protocols and oversight for their safety. Weedon Strmgren et al. EH We observed a 1.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3, 2.3) increased odds for PTD, 2.2% (95% CI: 1.0, 3.4) for VPTD, and 1.1% (95% CI: 0.2, 2.0) for term LBW for each 5 km closer to any power plant. This pattern remained consistent when daily PM2.5 concentrations near different types of power plants were examined. Anderson More research is warranted to better understand the causal relationship. Catov Lamson 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 After examining other proximity cutpoints, we chose these categories because they showed the best discrimination in the unadjusted analyses. The exposure for this study was proximity to a nonrenewable-source power plant. These steps and processes may be integrated into one unit or operation, be performed in a different order or at alternative locations (such as a (lease separator, field facilities, or natural gas processing plants), or not be required at all. All rights reserved. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide, This PDF is available to Subscribers Only. R We further identified that solid waste plants had the strongest association with term LBW, while oil, gas, and solid waste plants all had strong associations with PTD and VPTD. 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. N D Spengler 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. X Since then, researchers have further studied this association, including in the California Power Line Study, a 2016 study in the British Journal of Cancer. Therefore, this discrepancy is likely to bias our results toward the null. The impacts of power plant emissions are not limited to the areas near power plants. SI When considering whether a property is eligible for an FHA-insured loan, HUD requires that "a site be rejected if the property being appraised is subject to hazards, environmental contaminants, noxious odors, offensive sights or excessive noises to the point of endangering the physical improvements or affecting the livability of the property, its marketability or the health and safety of its occupants." Wilhelm For example, in Ohio the setback from a homeis 100 feetfrom awell - not even from the boundary of a wellpad - and only 75 feet for a directional well. Wellhead natural gas may contain contaminants and hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGLs) that must be removed before the natural gas can be safely transported through high-pressure, long-distance pipelines to consumers. PC Association Between Proximity to Power Plants and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Florida From 2004 to 2005. S 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. 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. 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. A HS After exclusion of births that had addresses outside Florida (n = 4,672); births that were missing address (n = 423), unable to geocode (e.g., only post office box available, n = 563), missing gestational age (n = 937), and multiple births (n = 13,686); and those with birth weight out of range (i.e., <500 and >5,000 g) (n = 903) and those with gestational age out of range (i.e., <140 days and >320 days) (n = 125), 423,719 births remained for analyses. ML Where do hydrocarbon gas liquids come from? 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. Bremner T Vijayaraghavan et al. M In Scheme 1, the syngas that results from coal gasification was divided into two parts; one part went to the It is based on nationally consistent data and uses an approach that combines environmental indicatorsand demographics in maps and reports. On Florida birth certificates, the gestational age in weeks is typically determined by ultrasound measurements. Financial market analysis and financial data for major energy companies. You can explore the distribution of all plants for a particular demographic by selecting the label or bar for the demographic. X This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com. Director of Energy Research & Analysis, Guillermo Pereira Many U.S. power plants produce CO 2 emissions. EPA is committed to Environmental Justice (EJ) - the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people. Natural gas transmission pipelines are wide-diameter pipelines and are often the long-distance portion of natural gas pipeline systems that connect gathering systems in producing areas, natural gas processing plants, and other receipt points to the main consumer service areas. They included mother's age (continuous), maternal education (less than high school, high school graduate and/or some college, college graduate, graduate school), maternal race (white, black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and others), and marital status (married, unmarried). Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy Y Tools to customize searches, view specific data sets, study detailed documentation, and access time-series data. Su Particulate matter and ozone cause the extensive list of adverse health outcomes you hear at the end of a prescription drug commercial shortness of breath, heart attacks, premature death; the list goes on. 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 Bell Graham Hodges and a University of Florida Graduate School fellowship (S.H.). 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). Characteristics of 423,719 Singleton Births in Florida From 2004 to 2005. For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription. The lack of a positive association could be explained by the fact that, compared with other types of plants, nuclear plants do not emit as many atmospheric pollutants in high concentrations (e.g., PM2.5, sulfur dioxide, and nitric oxides) (35). D O'Brien More information about the Power Plants and Neighboring Communities Mapping Tool can be foundhere. Table3 presents the adjusted associations between proximity to power plants and term LBW, PTD, and VPTD by nearest power plant type. Table1 shows participants' characteristics by term LBW, PTD, and VPTD. Ren Recurring messages. et al. This practice, although The following sections are presented below: There are over 3,400 fossil fuel-fired power plants in the United States. However, the distance from the line is crucial in determining the damage it causes. S Monthly and yearly energy forecasts, analysis of energy topics, financial analysis, congressional reports. Our continuous exposure analysis showed that proximity to nuclear plants was protective against PTD, but not term LBW or VPTD. Queisser-Luft Visintainer Bronson NOXandSO2emissions contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone and fine PM, which can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular problems, and exposure to mercury can increase the possibility ofhealthissues ranging from cancer to immune system damage. JI Power Plants and Neighboring Communities (xlsx) As paradoxical as it may sound, California may continue to achieve its global warming emissions reduction goals and increase air pollution from natural gas power plants at the same time. Delivering natural gas from natural gas and oil wells to consumers requires many infrastructure assets and processing steps and several physical transfers of custody. On average, males weigh 150 and 200 g more than females (36) given term birth, and they have a 9%24% increased risk for PTD (37). Western States Energy Manager/Senior Analyst. 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. Uranium fuel, nuclear reactors, generation, spent fuel. 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. JD 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. If something happens to go wrong at a nuclear reactor, anyone living in a 10-mile radius of the plant may A M 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). Something ignited the gas that was being used in a scheduled cleaning procedure at the Kleen Energy Plant in Connecticut. 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge MA 02138, USA Finally, the Hierarchical Bayesian Prediction Model data that we used to describe PM2.5 exposures were available at only 12 12 km resolution. Thanks to the Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project (NEOGAP) for this information. Yet the recent closures of plants in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania underscore their effects on emissions. Notethat this applies to the site boundary, not to theactual well site.". Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions at the State Level, through 2018, Monthly Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production, Annual Solar Photovoltaic Module Shipments Report, Midwest and Rocky Mountain Transportation Fuels Markets, East Coast and Gulf Coast Transportation Fuels Markets. et al. Logistic regression models were used to test the hypothesized associations. Valero De Bernab The type of nearest power plant was also identified by fuel type. LA In populous cities, the percentage of deaths attributable to PM2.5 and ozone ranges from 3.5% in San Jose to 10% in Los Angeles (both in California) (9). The results remained consistent when exposure was categorized (Table3). It is possible that socioeconomic status confounded the association that we observed in this study. 4.5 shows the two schemes considered by the authors. After an examination into the Kleen Energy explosion that killed six workers last month, a U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigator expresses concerns over one of the industry's standard practices. 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. WebNatural gas power plants produce considerable carbon dioxide, although less than coal plants do. 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. In general, the concentrations of PM2.5 were highest around coal plants followed by solid waste, gas, oil, other, and nuclear plants (Figure2A). A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 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. Neuberger 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. 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. Ha Anenberg RD During the study period, power plants in the United States emitted an estimated annual average of 2,491,971 metric tons of carbon dioxide, 10,431 metric tons of sulfur dioxide, and 4,212 metric tons of nitric oxides (27). Caton Vrijheid Some layersare not visible until the map is zoomed in. The CSB is trying to devise better safety codes for gas blows, but has yet to identify them. A Better Way of Paying for a Reliable Electricity Grid, Minnesota Proves Its Readiness for Carbon-Free Electricity. For the layout of plant, prescriptive distances between equipment items are generally used, according to a tabular matrix LA However, we have also used a fully adjusted model with all covariates in our directed acyclic graph. The map displays all fossil fuel-fired power plants that supply electricity to the grid. Reply STOP to cancel. Chen ML M Natural gas power accounts for about 20 percent of the nation's electricity. Come test out some of the products still in development and let us know what you think! This work was supported by grant K01ES019177 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (X.X.) Chang 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). Yli-Tuomi et al. Subscribe to feeds for updates on EIA products including Today in Energy and What's New. J Includes hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and ethanol. 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. Petroeschevsky SA Shi M

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