Improved asthma outcomes observed in the vicinity of coal power plant retirement, retrofit and conversion to natural gas
- 13 April 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Nature Energy
- Vol. 5 (5), 398-408
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0600-2
Abstract
Coal-fired power plants release substantial air pollution, which included over 60% of US sulfur dioxide emissions in 2014. Such air pollution may exacerbate asthma, but direct studies of the health impacts linked to power plant air pollution are rare. Here we take advantage of a natural experiment in Louisville, Kentucky, where one coal-fired power plant was retired and converted to natural gas, and three others installed SO2 emission control systems between 2013 and 2016. Dispersion modelling indicated that exposure to SO2 emissions from these power plants decreased after the energy transitions. We used several analysis strategies, which include difference-in-differences, first-difference and interrupted time-series modelling to show that the emissions control installations and plant retirements are associated with a reduced asthma disease burden related to hospitalizations and emergency room visits at the ZIP-code level, and to individual-level medication use as measured by digital medication sensors.Funding Information
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R01 ES026217, K99/R00 ES027511, K99/R00 ES027023)
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
- Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky
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