There has been major concern of the long-term effects of living or working near a nuclear power plant in recent years. This has been a controversial debate that has yet to find a definite conclusion. One of the more well known publications on this topic offered evidence of elevated leukemia rates among children living near power plants (source:Baker and Hoel in the European Journal of Cancer Care, 2007). The debate continued after this paper and still is ongoing today.
However, there is an elevated risk in living or working near a nuclear power plant when there has been an accident in the past depending on the severity of the accident. During the accident, if radioactive materials are released into the environment there are significant potential health risks to a population if they become in contact with the materials. The risks are subject to the amount of exposure and the persons age (younger ages are generally higher at risk). The most common ways a person comes into contact with the radioactive is:
- contaminated food from the community
- contaminated drinking water
- through the air
- touching the material
Coal Fired Power Plant Pollution
Coal power plants are currently the top source of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. Studies indicate that burning coal is connected to the cause of smog, acid rain, and toxic air pollution. Additional emissions that are potentially harmful to the environment and public health are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, and mercury.
Coal Fired Power Plants have been scrutinized in the past for their link to “cancer clusters” (neighborhoods with multiple cases of the same form of cancer). According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Release Inventory, some coal-burning power plants release toxic hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, ammonia and hydrogen fluoride, lead and nickel compounds that may cause cancer and harm the environment.
If you or someone you know near a power plant has been exposed, or have suffered from cancer or severe illness contact Gruber Law Offices for a free case evaluation.
