Coal Ash: Toxic – and Leaking

Coal ash – the waste material left after coal is burned – contains arsenic, mercury, lead, and over a dozen other heavy metals, many of them toxic.  And disposal of the growing mounds of coal ash is creating grave risks to human health.

Toxic constituents of coal ash are blowing, spilling and leaching (dissolving and percolating) from storage units into air, land and human drinking water, posing an acute risk of cancer and neurological effects as well as many other negative health impacts:  heart damage, lung disease, kidney disease, reproductive problems, gastrointestinal illness, birth defects, and impaired bone growth in children.

This ash, which is generated at coal-fired power plants across the country, is the second-largest industrial waste stream in the country.

Recent News

The coal ash spill in southeastern Wisconsin that poured heavy metals and toxicants into Lake Michigan poses potentially serious health risks to the communities in the area.  When previous coal ash accidents have occurred, water samples have found elevated levels of arsenic, lead, chromium, and mercury, which can cause cancer, neurological damage, or both in humans.  This is another stark reminder of why EPA needs to adopt strong regulations of coal ash and why our federal, state and local policies should focus on the health and well-being of our citizens rather than on corporate profits.

View the coverage of this story from the Rachel Maddow Show:

Coal Ash Resources

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new regulations for coal ash disposal and is receiving citizen comments.

PSR calls on its members to urge the EPA to establish mandatory federal regulation of coal ash disposal.  It’s easy:  Submit your comments by emailing the EPA at: rcra-docket@epa.gov. Use as your subject line: Attention Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–RCRA–2009–0640.  Consult PSR’s resources as you prepare your comments:

• PSR’s new report, Coal Ash: The Toxic Threat to our Health and Environment, provides a comprehensive overview of the issue:  the threats coal ash poses to human health, examples of damage cases, current problems with disposal, and recommendations for health-protective policy.
• A Q&A coal ash fact sheet on the basics:  what coal ash is, how it is stored, and its risks to human health.
• A fact sheet focusing on the damage to health from six toxics in coal ash.
• How-to guidance on drafting and submitting your comments, with a summary of the policy approach PSR urges the EPA to adopt.

Thank you for raising your voice on this important health issue.