Mortality risk from United States coal electricity generation

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Epidemiology
• Air Quality Science

Background:

• Policy-making to mitigate climate change and air pollution from coal electricity-generating units (EGUs) relies on quantifying associated health burdens.
• Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure from coal EGUs is a significant environmental health concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate and visualize the mortality burden attributable to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) specifically from coal electricity-generating units (EGUs) in the United States.
• To quantify the association between exposure to coal PM2.5 and mortality risk.

Main Methods:

• Defined "coal PM2.5" as fine particulate matter linked to coal EGU sulfur dioxide emissions.
• Estimated annual coal PM2.5 exposure from 480 US coal EGUs.
• Utilized individual-level Medicare death records (650 million person-years) from 1999 to 2020 to estimate attributable deaths.

Main Results:

• Exposure to coal PM2.5 showed a 2.1 times greater mortality risk compared to PM2.5 from all sources.
• A total of 460,000 deaths were attributed to coal PM2.5 exposure.
• Coal PM2.5 accounted for 25% of all PM2.5-related Medicare deaths before 2009, decreasing to 7% after 2012.

Conclusions:

• Coal PM2.5 significantly contributes to mortality in the US.
• Individual EGUs have quantifiable impacts on public health, informing regulatory decisions.
• The study provides a detailed visualization of EGU contributions to mortality.