Final Standard for Air Toxics

EPA Issues Final Standard to Protect Americans from Boilers’ Toxic Air Pollution

Health protections will modestly reduce dangerous emissions

Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a final health standard that will limit emissions of mercury, lead, arsenic, acid gases and other toxic pollutants from industrial boilers. This commonsense air toxics safeguard, often called the “Boiler MACT (Maximum Available Control Technology),” will save thousands of lives, and prevent thousands of cases of asthma attacks, heart attacks and hospital visits.

Industrial boilers are on-site power plants at places like universities and industrial facilities like chemical plants, refineries and paper mills. By controlling these plants’ pollution, EPA’s air toxics safeguard will protect Americans from breathing some of the most dangerous and toxic pollutants known to us – arsenic, lead, acid gases and mercury. Even in small amounts, these life-threatening air pollutants are linked to cancer, birth defects, brain damage and even early death. Without this critical protection, millions of tons of air toxics will continue to be released into our air each year.

“Corporate polluters are literally making us sick, and these long overdue protections from EPA will save lives and improve the health of millions of Americans,” said Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. “Though the announcement today is modest by comparison to the proposals put forth by the EPA last June, we urge Administrator Lisa Jackson to forge ahead to protect our children and families’ health.”

Not content with having weakened important protections like the air toxics safeguard, polluting industries continue to push their agenda to roll back and even block public health protections and clean air standards.

“If the corporate lobbyists succeed in killing these health protections, Americans will pay the price with the lives and health of their family members,” said James Pew, staff attorney at Earthjustice. “Controlling the toxic pollution from industrial boilers will save lives, prevent billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs, and put thousands of Americans to work.”

A Radioactive Surprise in Coal Ash

We know about the Bad Health Brigade, and that coal ash contains toxic amounts of them, but there's an insidious friend of theirs that just isn't getting any attention at all.

Burning coal can produce Radon (it's actually TENORM, technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials), Polonium 210 and Lead 210- and it can be emitted as solid radioactive material, as gases, and as both.

For example, Radon gas emissions at the proposed NRG coal-fired power plant result from its presence in the coal, which means that alarming quantities of radon gas will be released into the air during large-scale coal combustion.

Radon gas emissions at the proposed Oak Grove plant result from the presence of radon in the coal, and significant quantities are released into the environment. The highest potential concentrations of radiation would be in the Robertson County area closest to the Oak Grove plant.

However, there is NO information about the average concentrations of radon and its radioactive relatives in the coal in the permit application, the TCEQ's technical review, or the draft permit for the Sandy Creek plant.

The Law:

1) TCEQ's Regulatory Definition of "Air Contaminant" in state law includes "radioactive material".

2) Radon is a radionuclide classified as hazardous air pollutant/HAP under Title III of the Clean Air Act.

Why isn't the TCEQ regulating radon exposure to radon and its carcinogenic byproducts? Well, they don't regulate much.

Has any radiation been detected near coal plants? In Texas!?

Yes.

The U.S. Geological survey conducted extensive flyovers of the US looking for radiation hotspots. Every coal-fired power plant had two radiation hotspots. One for the coal and one for the coal ash piles.

Radionuclides in Powder River Basin coal indicate concentrations in the low parts per million range according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies.

The highest concentrations would be in the Robertson County area closest to the Oak Grove Plant. Radon gas emissions at the proposed Oak Grove coal-fired power plant results from its presence in the coal, and significant quantities of radon gas are released into the air during large-scale coal combustion.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Why We Need Federal Safeguards for Coal Ash (treehugger.com)
• E.P.A. Moves on Coal Ash (green.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Luminant Tex Oak Grove 2 coal unit enters service (reuters.com)

The Bad Health Brigade

Coal stack emissions and coal combustion waste produce:

Arsenic: Cancer, Birth defects, Respiratory problems, Suspected mutagen (DNA damage), Heart problems, Gastrointestinal, Headaches, Impaired memory, Nervous system problems, Sexual dysfunction.

Lead: Retardation and brain damage, especially in children. Learning disabilities. Endocrine-disrupting and reproductive effects, Anemia, Nervous system. Hearing loss, Joint pain, Kidney diseases, Heart, Spontaneous abortions, Vomiting, Weight loss, Nervousness, Irritability, Sudden infant deaths,Decreased thyroid function, Headaches, Immune system damage,Chromosome mutations.

Mercury: Target organs like the brain, kidneys, central nervous system,eyes, skin, respiratory system and bowels affected, Birth defects,Neurological damage. Endocrine-disrupting and reproductive effects, Emotional disturbances, Headaches,Spontaneous abortions, Immune system damage.

Selenium: Toxic metal with different adverse health effects.

Cadmium: Cancer, Destroys bones by decalcification, Kidneys, Endocrine-disrupting and Reproductive effects. Lung, and Gastrointestinal irritation, Behavior problems, Liver, Destruction of cell membrane, Pulmonary edema, Osteoporosis, Immune system problems, Brain and nerve cell damage, Birth Defects, Genetic mutations, Altered libido.

Beryllium: Cancer, primary lung disease, affects liver, spleen, kidneys, lymph glands, enlarged heart, conjunctivitis, adrenal gland congestion, cell mediated immune response, Ricketts, osteoporosis.

Chromium: cancer, pulmonary problems, birth defects, liver, DNA-chromosome changes, headaches, immune system problems, blood changes, nose bleeds, low birthweight babies, nervous system problems, kidney trouble

Nickel: cancer, cardiac arrest, delirium, cyanosis, death, emphysyema, epigastric pain, fatigue, headaches, increase in blood reticulocytes, increase in serum bilirubin, lethargy, chromosomal aberrations, metal fume fever, muscle pain, pneumonia, vomiting, vision loss.