DeepSummary
The podcast episode is an interview with Alan Lockwood, the author of the book 'The Silent Epidemic: Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health.' The discussion focuses on the adverse health effects associated with the extraction and burning of coal. Lockwood explains that coal mining poses significant risks to workers, such as black lung disease, and living near mines can increase the risk of various health conditions like cardiopulmonary disease and hypertension.
When it comes to the consumption of coal, Lockwood highlights that burning coal releases small particle pollution, which has been linked to numerous health issues, including asthma, lung cancer, and heart attacks. He also discusses the issue of coal ash, a toxic waste product from burning coal, and its environmental and health impacts, particularly on communities living near coal-fired power plants.
The conversation also touches on the coal industry's powerful lobbying efforts, the failure of the EPA's cross-state air pollution rule in protecting public health, and the need for political action to address the negative health effects of coal. Lockwood emphasizes the staggering economic and human costs associated with coal-derived pollution and calls for greater awareness and action on this issue.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Coal mining poses significant health risks to workers, such as black lung disease, and living near mines increases the risk of various health conditions.
- Burning coal releases harmful pollutants, including small particle pollution, which contribute to numerous health issues like asthma, lung cancer, and heart disease.
- The disposal of coal ash, a toxic byproduct of burning coal, has detrimental environmental and health impacts on local communities.
- The coal industry wields significant political influence through lobbying efforts, hindering regulatory action to address the health risks associated with coal.
- The economic and human costs of coal-derived pollution are staggering, underscoring the need for greater public awareness and policy changes to mitigate these impacts.
- While improved worker safety and environmental regulations could help reduce the health risks associated with coal, the industry has historically resisted such measures.
- The failure of the EPA's cross-state air pollution rule highlights the ongoing challenges in implementing effective regulations to protect public health from coal-derived pollution.
- Addressing the health hazards of coal requires a multifaceted approach, including political action, public awareness, and a willingness to confront the powerful coal industry lobby.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Around the country, near every coal fired power plant, there's usually some kind of dump where they put this stuff under differing conditions. About two months ago, I visited one of these sites in the tip of West Virginia, where West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania all come together. A place called little Blue run Lake. This is a lake, a manmade lake, that's held back by a dam that's half a mile long and 400ft high. And it's filled with this blue water that died blue by the copper sulfate from the coal ash. And now all of the people who live in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, many of whom get their drinking water from the ground, find that this water from the lake is seeping up into their yards. And I met the homeowners who had to leave because the situation was so terrible.“ by Alan Lockwood
- “It's a very powerful lobby. The coal industry and related electrical utilities that burn coal spend a very large fraction of their total expenditures on lobbying efforts, and they've been very successful in doing that with billboards, television spots, and the like, particularly in states where coal mining is very, very common, like Pennsylvania.“ by Alan Lockwood
- “Clearly, if the coal industry, either voluntarily or by regulation, spent more money on improving worker conditions, particularly the prevalence of black lung disease, would once again start to fall.“ by Alan Lockwood
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Episode Information
New Books in Environmental Studies
Marshall Poe
8/15/23