Annotated Bibliography: Coal And The Environment

Fossil Fuels are extremely harmful to the environment, especially in the ways the fuel is obtained, such as mining or hydraulic fracturing. Coal, a commonly used fossil fuel, can be obtained by strip mining, mountaintop mining, or underground mining (“Coal Explained”). Strip mining has disastrous effects on the environment because of the destructive nature of the process, which removes all soil, rock, trees, and plants above coal deposits. The runoff from this pollutes streams and rivers nearby, which can harm aquatic life and disfigure the body of water,

Coal Combustion Residuals, often referred to as coal ash, are currently considered exempt wastes under an amendment to RCRA, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. They are residues from the combustion of coal in power plants and captured by pollution control technologies, like scrubbers. Potential environmental concerns from coal ash pertain to pollution from impoundment and landfills leaching into ground water and structural failures of impoundments, like that which occurred at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plant in Kingston, Tennessee. The need for national management criteria was emphasized by the December 2008 spill of CCRs from a surface impoundment near

I would have to say that from the reading that it can be very harmful for the coal mining chemicals to seep into the ground into our drinking water.

This chapter of the book discussed some of the pollutants that are discharged into the air from coal-fired utilities. It explained how weather conditions play a role in exposure and explained the measuring criteria for particulates. It explained how some particulates stay in the atmosphere longer and therefore travel a greater distance till exposure. It then discussed federal involvement in the issue and some of the Clear Air legislation that has been passed over the years starting with the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955. There were six pollutants that were determined to pose the greatest risk, carbon monoxide, lead, particulate matter (now subdivided be particle size), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. The final report listed

States has a large amount of coal remaining to be mined and burned, almost three-fourths of the public land in America has been declared off-limits for mining. Mountaintop mining is a relatively new form of surface mining that has steadily gained popularity. The debate as to whether or not this process is an economic necessity or environmental disaster for Kentuckians is the question. Undoubtedly, it is an environmental disaster and it should be removed in every state that they are using it not to mention the health hazards. One report found states, “Although dozens of new coal-burning power plants are planned or under construction, the latest coal boom is meeting resistance from critics who want to shift the U.S. economy toward cleaner fuels. Even if electricity from coal is cheaper than other sources, they argue, the savings are far outweighed by its environmental and health impacts” (Isabella, 2013).

Coal is the most abundant and important source of primary energy in the world. There are reserves spread throughout some one hundred countries to meet global needs up to the next two hundred and fifty years. It is the most important fossil fuel for electricity generation and industrial purposes. But, it has pollution issues to the environment like Air pollution, land degradation, noise pollution, etc. But the pollution I am going to be talking about is water pollution from the coal mines in the Alabama rivers.

Coal is a dirty industry from beginning to end, but until recently the public knew very little of how the coal cycle ends -- with millions of tons of toxic coal ash waste produced each year. Coal ash can cause many health problems for people who are exposed to it, and it can also damage our environment.The EPA has been very lenient with coal ash reuse and storage, and due to that leniency, many communities were and still are being negatively affected. Coal ash is not only negatively affecting North Carolina and the United States, it’s negatively affecting Earth in general. Coal ash is a global problem, and the EPA should be more strict with companies that reuse or store coal ash. As we deal with decades of coal ash waste, ultimately, we must stop burning coal to make power and find better ways to efficiently create electricity without making global warming worse.

Coal mining has several negative effects on the health of the body that often times go unrecognized or just simply ignored. Many people have died from mining for various reasons such as the collapse of the mines as well as respiratory diseases caused by mining. Governments across the globe continue to implement regulations for the miners and populations surrounding the mines, but they have failed to eliminate health risks related to mining, which is nearly impossible. Mining permits used to be easy to obtain but under the Obama administration, the United States Environmental Protection Agency began conducting more reviews and now they have issued “comprehensive guidance” which was designed to strengthen requirements regarding mountain top removal (MTR) and other surface mining products (Holzman 2011). The more an organism is exposed to coal-mining, the more health problems they will face.

Coal releases dozens of hazardous substances that can be harmful to human health. These are just four of the many things that coal releases: Mercury, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. Every one of these act on the nervous system to cause loss of intellectual capacity. Exposure to coal dust can lead to black lung disease, or pneumoconiosis, which took the lives of 10,000 miners worldwide over the last decade. Black lung disease is similar to diseases you can get from smoking tobacco for a long period of time. This disease is most common with coal miners, because they are constantly exposed to the dangers coal causes. Coal affects not only the human respiratory system, but also the cardiovascular and nervous system. This

In the matter of clean -coal technologies, illustrates the pros and cons of whether or not "clean coal" technologies are benefiting or still causing harm to the environment.

On top of emitting 1.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year, coal-fired power plants in the United States also create 120 million tons of toxic waste. That means each of the nation's 500 coal-fired power plants produces an average 240,000 tons of toxic waste each year. A power plant that operates for 40 years will leave behind 9.6 million tons of toxic waste” (2009). Coal Combustion Residue despite containing toxic metals such as arsenic, mercury, lead, selenium, and cadmium that are proven to cause cancer, kidney problems, birth defects, and wreck havoc on the nervous system. Coal Combustion Residue can is disposed by either being land filled, used to reclaim mine shafts, or are stored in pits on-site of coal burning plants. Even without a spill these contaminants can leach into the ground and pose a health risk if they are not disposed of properly.

The deadly components of the coal ash contains the elements such as arsenic, selenium, boron, and many other deadly substances that contributed to the pollution of Dan River. Even though fatal, when combined these elements are actually very useful and resourceful since they created electricity. In 2013 this mixture of coal ash contributed to 39 percent of the energy in the United States. Duke Energy and many other utility companies used this coal to generate electricity by burning it and creating a cheaper and more efficient source of energy. This incident never had a back-up plan and wasn’t thought out by Duke Energy’s engineers; for many years, the ash was just kept in pits underwater near the power plants. Due to the damages and negligence of Duke Energy, they now face a multimillion-dollar problem because not only do they have to make up for the spill into Dan River, but also they have to get rid of all of their buried ash throughout every power plant they own.

There is a common bond throughout Kentucky that stretches from western to eastern state lines that unites many Kentuckians. This common thread is coal mining. Window decals proudly proclaiming “Coal miner’s daughter”, “friend of coal” license plates, and yard signs declaring “Coal keeps the lights on” are only a fraction of the coal mining propaganda frequently seen throughout my community. There is an allure to being a coal miner not only because it is a high paying job that does not require a college degree, but also because being a coal miner evokes a sense of pride within people. However due to the occupational hazards and coal’s impact on the environment, coal mining also poses as a very real environmental health issue for not only my community in western Kentucky but the entire state as well. This research paper aims to describe coal mining as environmental health issue, explain the potential health risks of working in and living near coal mines, identifying regulations and laws concerning the issue, describe the industry’s response to this issue, describe my community’s response to this issue, and identify needs and nursing interventions required for affected aggregates.

States has a large amount of coal remaining to be mined and burned, almost three-fourths of the public land in America has been declared off-limits for mining. Mountaintop mining is a relatively new form of surface mining that has steadily gained popularity. The debate as to whether or not this process is an economic necessity or environmental disaster for Kentuckians is the question. Undoubtedly, it is an environmental disaster and it should be removed in every state that they are using it not to mention the health hazards. One report found states, “Although dozens of new coal-burning power plants are planned or under construction, the latest coal boom is meeting resistance from critics who want to shift the U.S. economy toward cleaner fuels. Even if electricity from coal is cheaper than other sources, they argue, the savings are far outweighed by its environmental and health impacts” (Isabella, 2013).

The Dangers of Coal : The dangers to the miners themselves are only a portion of the problem. Environmental issues abound as well. Strip mining has caused massive environmental complications.numerous accidents throughout the years. The danger of black lung disease from long-time exposure in coal mines is also well documented.They cause environmental issues. Coal mining carries numerous risks. It is harmful to the planet. It is harmful to people involved in any aspect . it. Some of the threats are immediate, while some side effects will not appear for a long time.