Public Health Impacts of Burning Fossil Fuels
From wheezing and coughing to asthma attacks, air pollution affects everyone, no matter age, location, race or gender. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Indiana ranks third in the country in toxic emissions, making the state’s air quality one of the worst in the country. Of all Indiana counties, only Carroll County received a D in air quality from the American Lung Association in 2008; all other counties surveyed received an F.  Furthermore, Indiana residents are currently paying more than $5 billion in costs directly associated with coal-fired power plant pollution.

Why is this so? Much of the problem stems from burning fossil fuels – like coal-fired power plants or motorized vehicles.  Right now, Indiana gets 96% of its electricity from coal-fired power plants.  Coal-fired power creates toxic air conditions and excess air pollution – primarily, particle pollution and ground-level ozone pollution.  This is why the Hoosier Environmental Council advocates for renewable electricity sources, which would greatly reduce air pollution in Indiana.

The Consequences of Our Fossil Fuel Addiction

• Air pollution – Ds, Fs in either ozone or particulate pollution in four regions of the state, leading to higher than average asthma rates.

• Water pollution – highest amount of coal ash stored in surface ponds in the U.S., putting water bodies in Indiana at risk.

• Future risks to economic growth – Global demand for fossil fuels and future federal environmental laws are going to lead to a major rise in fossil fuel prices.   The earlier we diversify our energy mix, the better our economy will be.

• Contributing to global climate change – Indiana has the largest carbon footprint in the Midwest, and Indianapolis has the 2nd highest footprint of any major city in the U.S.   We have an obligation to future generations to cut our carbon footprint.

PARTICLE POLLUTION:
Particle pollution, called particulate matter or PM, is a combination of tiny specks of soot, dust, and aerosols that are suspended in the air we breathe. Burning fuel is a major source of the smallest types of particle pollution —whether from woodstoves, diesel trucks and buses, or coal-fired power plants.

EPA should require old, dirty coal-fired power plants and industrial boilers to become cleaner, sooner.  The national air quality standards drive all the federal, state, and local measures to clean up air pollution. EPA is currently reviewing the air quality standards for particle pollution. The American Lung Association and other public health and medical societies support strengthening the limits on fine particle pollution.

OZONE POLLUTION:
Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas that is a form of oxygen. Ozone forms in the atmosphere, primarily from the action of sunlight on two products of fuel combustion—hydrocarbon vapors and nitrogen oxides.   Ozone acts as a powerful respiratory irritant at the levels frequently found across the nation during the summer months. Breathing ozone may lead to serious health consequences.
EPA estimates that one out of every three people in the United States is at a higher risk of experiencing problems from ground-level ozone.   Ozone is such a risk to human health that the EPA is required to establish official limits, called national ambient air quality standards, on the level of ozone that can be in the nation’s air. The Clean Air Act requires that EPA set the standard at a level that protects public health with an adequate margin of safety. The Act also requires that states must clean up the ozone in their communities to meet that standard.

To reduce ozone air pollution, the American Lung Association supports stringent controls to reduce the emissions of hydrocarbon compounds and nitrogen oxide that help create ozone, such as stricter pollution control requirements for power plants and industrial boilers and including requirements for older plants to meet current emissions standards.

IMPACTS TO INDIANA RESIDENTS:
There is broad scientific consensus that fine particle pollution endangers our health. These health effects range in severity from minor symptoms to chronic, serious and fatal outcomes.   As a result of fine particle pollution, the costs associated with premature mortality, illness, and lost productivity in Indiana exceed five billion dollars each year.