The pollutants generated from coal combustion have profound effects on the health of local communities but can also travel long distances, affecting communities remote from power plants. A new scientific review documenting the evidence of the health impacts from coal use in energy generation has been released by researchers from the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). This scientific literature review is a new initiative of the Health Care Research Collaborative based at UIC and carried out in conjunction with Health Care Without Harm, and is part of a project to evaluate the health impacts and healthcare costs of energy generation choices across a number of countries.

Authors: Erica Burt, MPH, Peter Orris, MD, MPH, and Susan Buchanan, MD, MPH.