EPA Proposes National Standards for Mercury and Toxic Air Pollution from Power Plants

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed the first-ever national standards for mercury and toxic air pollution from power plants. The new Power Plant Mercury and Air Toxics Standards would require power plants to install proven pollution control technologies to reduce emissions of mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel, and acid gases. This rule would prevent as many as 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks a year, while also providing health benefits for children, including preventing 120,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and 11,000 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year.

Key Takeaways:

• The EPA's proposed standards would require power plants to install widely available, proven pollution control technologies to reduce emissions of mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel, and acid gases.
• The rule would prevent as many as 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks a year, and provide health benefits for children, including preventing 120,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and 11,000 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year.
• The proposed standards would also avert over 12,000 emergency room visits and hospital admissions, and 850,000 fewer days of work missed due to illness.
• The rule would create jobs, with an estimated 31,000 short-term construction jobs and 9,000 long-term utility jobs generated.
• Toxic air pollutants like mercury have been shown to cause neurological damage, including lower IQ, in children exposed in the womb and during early development.
• The standards also address emissions of other toxic metals linked with cancer, such as arsenic, chromium, and nickel.
• Power plants are the largest remaining source of several toxic air pollutants, responsible for half of mercury and over half of acid gas emissions in the United States.

Statistics:

• 17,000 premature deaths per year prevented
• 11,000 heart attacks per year prevented
• 120,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms prevented
• 11,000 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children per year
• 12,000 emergency room visits and hospital admissions averted per year
• 850,000 fewer days of work missed due to illness per year
• 31,000 short-term construction jobs created
• 9,000 long-term utility jobs created

Sources:

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• American Lung Association