Coal Ash Poisoning

Coal ash poisoning results from exposure to coal ash, or fly ash, the upper layer of ash that is a waste product from the production of electricity in coal burning electric power plants.

Power plants across the nation produce 130 million tons of coal ash every year.

A 2007 draft risk assessment published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disclosed that a person has nine times the risk of getting cancer from exposure to coal combustion waste compared to the risk of getting cancer from smoking cigarettes.

The risk to health includes damage to the:

Heart
Lungs
Kidneys
Reproductive system
Brain
Fetus
Diabetics and others with ongoing health concerns

At least 11 toxins and carcinogens are found in coal ash including arsenic, selenium, lead, and other heavy metals.

The EPA was ordered by Congress in 1980 to study waste from burning coal and come up with rules governing coal ash ponds and landfills. Finally, on April 24, 2000, the EPA found that “coal combustion wastes could pose risks to human health and the environment if not properly managed.”

Catastrophic Coal Pond Spill

A major catastrophic coal pond spill, the worst in U.S. history, occurred in Tennessee in December 2008. The magnitude of the disaster brought new life to the outcry from environmentalists and others to stiffen the regulations.

Industry representatives and politicians from coal producing states are lobbying the EPA and the White House to let the regulations remain as they are. Environmentalists and people whose lives have been affected by the poisonous waste are clamoring for more stringent regulations.

They also are bringing lawsuits against the electric and coal companies.

The agency announced it would publish regulations for dispensing of the waste in coal ash ponds and landfills by last December. The report has yet to be released. Now the agency says it will make its regulations public sometime in April.

Who Is At Risk?

In the meantime, the pollution continues and the health of people, animals, and the environment remains in danger. Coal ash toxins continue to seep into rivers and streams through the walls of the containment ponds that are not properly protected.

Spills of the poisonous sludge overflow the walls built up around the ponds. When the pond walls fail, they allow the toxin-laden ash to spread over the surrounding communities and farmland, poisoning rivers and streams, personal wells, farm animals, wildlife and human beings.

Coal ash recycling has become another contentious issue. Coal ash is recycled for use in landfills, agriculture ground supplements, the making of cement, and highway embankments. Representatives of these industries also have a stake in the long awaited findings from the EPA.

For more information, or if you believe you’ve suffered from coal ash poisoning, contact our coal ash lawyers.

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