CLOSING THE FLOODGATES: - Sierra Club

WHY IS COAL PLANT WATER POLLUTION SO TOXIC?Although coal waste streams contain a varying mixtureof pollution, all of them are toxic. Below are summariesof some of the most dangerous poisons theycontain.ARSENICArsenic is a potent poison. Power plants 32 dischargeat least 79,200 pounds of arsenic every year–whichthe EPA calculates to be 320,000 “toxic weightedpound equivalents” (TWPE), the normalized unit thatEPA uses to compare the relative toxic effects of differentpollutants. 33 According to the EPA, arsenic is“frequently observed at elevated concentrations” nearcoal waste sites, where it has been found in groundwater,and can also build up, or “bio-accumulate,” inecosystems affected by these discharges. 34 Accordingto the Agency for Toxic Substances Control andDisease Registry (ATSDR), arsenic in drinking wateris linked to miscarriages, stillbirths, and infants withlow birth weights. 35 Arsenic can also cause cancer,including skin tumors and internal organ tumors, 36 andis also connected to heart problems, nervous systemdisorders, and intense stomach pain. 37MERCURYAs the EPA explains, even though mercury concentrationsin coal plant waste can be relatively low, “mercuryis a highly toxic compound that represents anenvironmental and human health risk even in smallconcentrations,” and the conditions at the bottomof coal waste pools are particularly likely to convertmercury into its most toxic forms. 38 Mercury is a bioaccumulatingpoison that impairs brain developmentin children and causes nervous system and kidneydamage in adults. 39 A fraction of a tea-spoon of mercurycan contaminate a 25-acre lake, 40 and coal plantsdump 2,820 pounds — or 330,000 TWPE — into ourwater every year. 41 Mercury also accumulates in fish,making them unsafe to eat. 42SELENIUMCoal power plants discharge 225,000 pounds of seleniumeach year, 43 resulting in severe environmentalharm. 44 High levels of selenium can kill people, andlower levels can cause nervous system problems, brittlehair, and deformed nails. 45 Selenium may take itsmost serious toll in our rivers and streams, where it isacutely poisonous to fish and other aquatic life in evensmall doses. Concentrations below 3 micrograms perliter can kill fish, 46 and lower concentrations can leavefish deformed or sterile. 47 Selenium also bio-accumulatesand interferes with fish reproduction, meaningthat it can permanently destroy wildlife populations inlakes and rivers as it works its way through the ecosystemover a period of years. 48LEADLead is a highly toxic poison that can cause severebrain damage, especially in children. 49 Coal plantsdump 64,400 pounds of lead into the water eachyear. 50 Although the EPA reports that much of thislead settles out fairly quickly, if it winds up passinginto river sediment, it will persist. Once lead enters theriver ecosystem, it can enter the food chain and bioaccumulate,leading to serious harm to wildlife, as wellas threatening people. 51CADMIUMCadmium is yet another bio-accumulating heavymetal. 52 Power plants send 31,900 pounds each yearinto our water, or 738,000 TWPE, due to cadmium’shigh toxicity. 53 ATSDR warns that drinking water withelevated cadmium levels can cause kidney damage,fragile bones, vomiting and diarrhea — and sometimesdeath. 54 Cadmium also likely causes cancer. 55 Fish exposedto excess cadmium become deformed. 56BORONBoron is rare in unpolluted water, meaning that evenvery small concentrations can be toxic to wildlife notusually exposed to this pollutant. 57 Coal plants dischargemore than 54 million pounds of boron annually,converting a rare contaminant into a common-placepollutant downstream of their discharge points. 58Boron’s effect on people is unclear, but some studiessuggest that it can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,even at low concentrations. 59BROMIDESCoal plant waste contains bromide salts, which arevery hard to remove short of evaporating wastewaterto crystallize out these pollutants. 60 Bromides interactwith disinfectant processes in water treatment plantsto form disinfection byproducts, including a class ofchemicals called trihalomethanes, which are associatedwith bladder cancer. 61NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUSThese nutrients are important in small quantities, butcan readily overpower ecosystems in larger quantities,converting clear waters into algae-choked sumps. 62Because coal plants dump more than 30 millionpounds of nitrogen and 682,000 pounds of phosphorusannually, they are a substantial contributor toharmful nutrient loadings in the Chesapeake Bay andother watersheds. 63Closing the Floodgates5