Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Proximity to coal-fired power plants and neurobehavioral symptoms in children

Abstract

Background

Coal-fired power plants are a major source of air pollution that can impact children’s health. Limited research has explored if proximity to coal-fired power plants contributes to children’s neurobehavioral disorders.

Objective

This community-based study collected primary data to investigate the relationships of residential proximity to power plants and neurobehavioral problems in children.

Methods

235 participants aged 6–14 years who lived within 10 miles of two power plants were recruited. Exposure to particulate matter ≤10 μm (PM10) was measured in children’s homes using personal modular impactors. Neurobehavioral symptoms were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Multiple regression models were performed to test the hypothesized associations between proximity/exposure and neurobehavioral symptoms. Geospatial statistical methods were used to map the spatial patterns of exposure and neurobehavioral symptoms.

Results

A small proportion of the variations of neurobehavioral problems (social problems, affective problems, and anxiety problems) were explained by the regression models in which distance to power plants, traffic proximity, and neighborhood poverty was statistically associated with the neurobehavioral health outcomes. Statistically significant hot spots of participants who had elevated levels of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and social problems were observed in the vicinity of the two power plants.

Significance

Results of this study suggest an adverse impact of proximity to power plants on children’s neurobehavioral health. Although coal-fired power plants are being phased out in the US, health concern about exposure from coal ash storage facilities remains. Furthermore, other countries in the world are increasing coal use and generating millions of tons of pollutants and coal ash. Findings from this study can inform public health policies to reduce children’s risk of neurobehavioral symptoms in relation to proximity to power plants.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Hot Spots of PM10 Using One-Mile Buffer.
Fig. 2: Hot Spots of Social Problems Using One-Mile Buffer.
Fig. 3: Hot Spots of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Using One- Mile Buffer.
Fig. 4: Sensitivity Analysis of Social Problems Using Two-Mile Buffer.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Amster E, Levy CL. Impact of coal-fired power plant emissions on children’s health: a systematic review of the epidemiological literature. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16:2008.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Lin C-K, Lin R-T, Chen T, Zigler C, Wei Y, Christiani DC. A global perspective on coal-fired power plants and burden of lung cancer. Environ Health. 2019;18:9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Munawer ME. Human health and environmental impacts of coal combustion and post-combustion wastes. J Sustain Min. 2018;17:87–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Fernández-Martınez G, Lopez-Vilarino J, López-Mahıa P, Muniategui-Lorenzo S, Prada-Rodrıguez D, Abad E, et al. First assessment of dioxin emissions from coal-fired power stations in Spain. Chemosphere. 2004;57:67–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Lin L-F, Lee W-J, Li H-W, Wang M-S, Chang-Chien G-P. Characterization and inventory of PCDD/F emissions from coal-fired power plants and other sources in Taiwan. Chemosphere. 2007;68:1642–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Wielgosiński G. The reduction of dioxin emissions from the processes of heat and power generation. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2011;61:511–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Buha-Marković JZ, Marinković AD, Nemoda SĐ, Savić JZ. Distribution of PAHs in coal ashes from the thermal power plant and fluidized bed combustion system; estimation of environmental risk of ash disposal. Environ Pollut. 2020;266:115282.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Tarafdar A, Sinha A. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution generated from coal-fired thermal power plants: formation mechanism, characterization, and profiling. In: Pollutants from energy sources. Springer, 2019, pp 73–90.

  9. Jones T, Brown P, BéruBé K, Wlodarczyk A, Longyi S. The physicochemistry and toxicology of CFA particles. J Toxicol Environ Health Part A. 2010;73:341–54.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Zierold KM, Odoh C. A review on fly ash from coal-fired power plants: chemical composition, regulations, and health evidence. Rev Environ Health. 2020; e-pub ahead of print 2020/04/24; https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2019-0039.

  11. Chakraborty J, Maantay JA, Brender JD. Disproportionate proximity to environmental health hazards: methods, models, and measurement. Am J Public Health. 2011;101:S27–S36.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. United States Commission on Civil Rights Environmental Justice: Examining the Environmental Protection Agency’s compliance and enforcement of Title VI and Executive Order 12898. 2016.

  13. Earthjustice (n.d.). The coal ash problem. In, 2020.

  14. Sierra Club Dangerous waters: America’s coal ash crisis. https://coalsierracluborg/sites/nat-coal/files/report-dangerous-water-coal-ash-crisispdf; Accessed 15 Mar 2021.

  15. Environmental Protection Agency. Hazardous and solid waste management system; identification and listing of special wastes; disposal of coal combustion residuals from electric utilities; proposed rule. Fed Reg. 2010;75:35128–264.

    Google Scholar 

  16. United States Environmental Protection Agency U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Inhalation of fugitive dust: a screening assessment of the risks posed by coal combustion waste landfills (draft). 2009.

  17. Mueller S, Mao Q, Valente R, Mallard J. Fugitive Emissions from a dry coal fly ash storage pile. In, n.d.

  18. Kravchenko J, Lyerly HK. The impact of coal-powered electrical plants and coal ash impoundments on the health of residential communities. North Carol Med J. 2018;79:289–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Iordanidis A, Buckman J, Triantafyllou AG, Asvesta A. Fly ash–airborne particles from Ptolemais–Kozani area, northern Greece, as determined by ESEM-EDX. Int J Coal Geol. 2008;73:63–73.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Dinis ML, Fiúza A, Góis J, Carvalho JMS, Castro ACM. Modeling radionuclides dispersion and deposition downwind of a coal-fired power plant. Procedia Earth Planet Sci. 2014;8:59–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Feng Y, Xue Y, Chen X, Wu J, Zhu T, Bai Z, et al. Source apportionment of ambient total suspended particulates and coarse particulate matter in urban areas of Jiaozuo, China. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2007;57:561–75.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Argyropoulos G, Grigoratos T, Voutsinas M, Samara C. Concentrations and source apportionment of PM10 and associated elemental and ionic species in a lignite-burning power generation area of southern Greece. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2013;20:7214–30.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Manousakas M, Diapouli E, Papaefthymiou H, Migliori A, Karydas AG, Padilla-Alvarez R, et al. Source apportionment by PMF on elemental concentrations obtained by PIXE analysis of PM10 samples collected at the vicinity of lignite power plants and mines in Megalopolis, Greece. Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res Sect B: Beam Interact Mater At. 2015;349:114–24.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Lee SW. Source profiles of particulate matter emissions from a pilot-scale boiler burning North American coal blends. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2001;51:1568–78.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Schraufnagel DE. The health effects of ultrafine particles. Exp Mol Med. 2020;52:311–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Cserbik D, Chen J-C, McConnell R, Berhane K, Sowell ER, Schwartz J, et al. Fine particulate matter exposure during childhood relates to hemispheric-specific differences in brain structure. Environ Int. 2020;143:105933.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Goren A, Hellmann S. Changing prevalence of asthma among schoolchildren in Israel. Eur Respir J. 1997;10:2279–84.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Peled R, Friger M, Bolotin A, Bibi H, Epstein L, Pilpel D, et al. Fine particles and meteorological conditions are associated with lung function in children with asthma living near two power plants. Public Health. 2005;119:418–25.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Rodriguez-Villamizar LA, Rosychuk RJ, Osornio-Vargas A, Villeneuve PJ, Rowe BH. Proximity to two main sources of industrial outdoor air pollution and emergency department visits for childhood asthma in Edmonton, Canada. Can J Public Health. 2017;108:e523–e529.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Yogev-Baggio T, Bibi H, Dubnov J, Or-Hen K, Carel R, Portnov BA. Who is affected more by air pollution—sick or healthy? Some evidence from a health survey of schoolchildren living in the vicinity of a coal-fired power plant in Northern Israel. Health Place. 2010;16:399–408.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Sears CG, Sears L, Zierold KM. Sex differences in the association between exposure to indoor particulate matter and cognitive control among children (age 6–14 years) living near coal-fired power plants. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2020. 106855.

  32. Perera F, Li T-Y, Zhou Z-J, Yuan T, Chen Y-H, Qu L, et al. Benefits of reducing prenatal exposure to coal-burning pollutants to children’s neurodevelopment in China. Environ Health Perspect. 2008;116:1396–1400.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Tang D, Li T-Y, Liu JJ, Zhou Z-J, Yuan T, Chen Y-H, et al. Effects of prenatal exposure to coal-burning pollutants on children’s development in China. Environ Health Perspect. 2008;116:674–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Haynes EN, Sucharew H, Hilbert TJ, Kuhnell P, Spencer A, Newman NC, et al. Impact of air manganese on child neurodevelopment in East Liverpool, Ohio. NeuroToxicology. 2018;64:94–102.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Tsai S-Y, Chou H-Y, The H-W, Chen C-M, Chen C-J. The effects of chronic arsenic exposure from drinking water on the neurobehavioral development in adolescence. NeuroToxicology. 2003;24:747–53.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Caparros-Gonzalez RA, Giménez-Asensio MJ, González-Alzaga B, Aguilar-Garduño C, Lorca-Marín JA, Alguacil J, et al. Childhood chromium exposure and neuropsychological development in children living in two polluted areas in southern Spain. Environ Pollut. 2019;252:1550–60.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Needleman HL, Schell A, Bellinger D, Leviton A, Allred EN. The long-term effects of exposure to low doses of lead in childhood. N Engl J Med. 1990;322:83–88.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Lozano M, Murcia M, Soler-Blasco R, González L, Iriarte G, Rebagliato M, et al. Exposure to mercury among 9-year-old children and neurobehavioural function. Environ Int. 2021;146:106173.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Schoeters G, Hond ED, Zuurbier M, Naginiene R, Van Den Hazel P, Stilianakis N, et al. Cadmium and children: exposure and health effects. Acta Paediatr. 2006;95:50–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Ciesielski T, Weuve J, Bellinger DC, Schwartz J, Lanphear B, Wright RO. Cadmium exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes in US children. Environ Health Perspect. 2012;120:758–63.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  41. Grineski SE, Collins TW. Geographic and social disparities in exposure to air neurotoxicants at US public schools. Environ Res. 2018;161:580–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. Liu X, Lessner L, Carpenter DO. Association between residential proximity to fuel-fired power plants and hospitalization rate for respiratory diseases. Environ Health Perspect. 2012;120:807–10.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  43. Meng YY, Rull RP, Wilhelm M, Lombardi C, Balmes J, Ritz B. Outdoor air pollution and uncontrolled asthma in the San Joaquin Valley, California. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2010;64:142–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Choi G, Heo S, Lee J-T. Assessment of environmental injustice in Korea using synthetic air quality index and multiple indicators of socioeconomic status: a cross-sectional study. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2016;66:28–37.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Ma L-G, Chen Q-H, Wang Y-Y, Wang J, Ren Z-P, Cao Z-F, et al. Spatial pattern and variations in the prevalence of congenital heart disease in children aged 4–18 years in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Sci Total Environ. 2018;627:158–65.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Rible R, Aguilar E, Chen A, Bader JL, Goodyear-Moya L, Singh KT, et al. Exploration of spatial patterns of congenital anomalies in Los Angeles County using the vital statistics birth master file. Environ Monit Assess. 2018;190:184.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Odoh C, Sears CG, Tompkins LK, Hagemeyer AN, Pfeiffer JA, Polivka BJ, et al. Recruitment strategies and challenges: Lessons learned from a coal ash and children’s health study. Res Nurs Health. 2019;42:446–57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Louisville Gas and Electric Neighbor to Neighbor. https://lge-kucom/sites/default/files/documents/LGE_Neighbor_to_Neighbor_Newsletter_Fall2012pdf. 2012.

  49. United States Environmental Protection Agency Fact Sheet: Coal combustion residuals (CCR) surface impoundments with high hazard potential ratings EPA Publication 2009; No. EPA530‐F‐09‐006.

  50. Mill Creek Generating Station. In, 2020.

  51. Bowers R, Cormier S. Dam Safety Assessment Report of CCW Impoundments LG&E Mill Creek Station. US EPA Archive Document. 2009.

  52. Allpress JLE, Curry RJ, Hanchette CL, Phillips MJ, Wilcosky TCA. GIS-based method for household recruitment in a prospective pesticide exposure study. Int J Health Geogr. 2008;7:18.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  53. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey (ACS) Data. 2015.

  54. Sears CG, Zierold KM. Health of children living near coal ash. Glob Pediatr Health. 2017;4:1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  55. Zierold KM, Sears CG. Community views about the health and exposure of children living near a coal ash storage site. J Community Health. 2015;40:357–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. McKenzie LM, Guo R, Witter RZ, Savitz DA, Newman LS, Adgate JL. Birth outcomes and maternal residential proximity to natural gas development in rural Colorado. Environ Health Perspect. 2014;122:412.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  57. Whitworth KW, Marshall AK, Symanski E. Maternal residential proximity to unconventional gas development and perinatal outcomes among a diverse urban population in Texas. PLOS ONE. 2017;12:e0180966.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  58. Gass K, Balachandran S, Chang HH, Russell AG, Strickland MJ. Ensemble-based source apportionment of fine particulate matter and emergency department visits for pediatric asthma. Am J Epidemiol. 2015;181:504–12.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  59. Leung DYC. Outdoor-indoor air pollution in urban environment: challenges and opportunity. Front Environ Sci. 2015; 2.

  60. Cyrys J, Pitz M, Bischof W, Wichmann HE, Heinrich J. Relationship between indoor and outdoor levels of fine particle mass, particle number concentrations and black smoke under different ventilation conditions. J Exposure Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2004;14:275–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  61. Nadali A, Arfaeinia H, Asadgol Z, Fahiminia M. Indoor and outdoor concentration of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 in residential building and evaluation of negative air ions (NAIs) in indoor PM removal. Environ Pollut Bioavailab. 2020;32:47–55.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  62. US EPA. Indoor Air Quality. In.

  63. Achenbach T, Rescorla L. Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles: an integrated system of multi-informant assessment Burlington, VT: University of Vermont. Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families 2001; 1617.

  64. Alotaibi R, Bechle M, Marshall JD, Ramani T, Zietsman J, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ, et al. Traffic-related air pollution and the burden of childhood asthma in the contiguous United States in 2000 and 2010. Environ Int. 2019;127:858–67.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  65. Wang S, Zhang J, Zeng X, Zeng Y, Wang S, Chen S. Association of traffic-related air pollution with children’s neurobehavioral functions in Quanzhou, China. Environ Health Perspect. 2009;117:1612–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  66. Nasari MM, Szyszkowicz M, Chen H, Crouse D, Turner MC, Jerrett M, et al. A class of non-linear exposure-response models suitable for health impact assessment applicable to large cohort studies of ambient air pollution. Air Qual Atmos Health. 2016;9:961–72.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  67. Pappin A, Crouse D, Christidis T, Erickson A, Pinault L, Weichenthal S, et al. Nonlinear associations between low levels of fine particulate matter and mortality across three cycles of the Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort. Environ Epidemiol. 2019; 3.

  68. Scott LM, Janikas MV. Spatial statistics in ArcGIS. In: Handbook of applied spatial analysis. Springer, 2010, pp 27-41.

  69. Anselin L. Local indicators of spatial association—LISA. Geogr Anal. 1995;27:93–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  70. Odoi A, Busingye D. Neighborhood geographic disparities in heart attack and stroke mortality: comparison of global and local modeling approaches. Spat Spatio-Temporal Epidemiol. 2014;11:109–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  71. Fisher JB, Kelly M, Romm J. Scales of environmental justice: combining GIS and spatial analysis for air toxics in West Oakland, California. Health Place. 2006;12:701–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  72. Sunyer J, Esnaola M, Alvarez-Pedrerol M, Forns J, Rivas I, López-Vicente M, et al. Association between traffic-related air pollution in schools and cognitive development in primary school children: a prospective cohort study. PLoS Med. 2015;12:e1001792.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  73. Suades-González E, Gascon M, Guxens M, Sunyer J. Air pollution and neuropsychological development: a review of the latest evidence. Endocrinology. 2015;156:3473–82.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  74. McConaughy SH. Using the child behavior checklist and related instruments in school-based assessment of children. Sch Psychol Rev. 1985;14:479–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  75. Bartov G, Deonarine A, Johnson TM, Ruhl L, Vengosh A, Hsu-Kim H. Environmental impacts of the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston coal ash spill. 1. Source apportionment using mercury stable isotopes. Environ Sci Technol. 2013;47:2092–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  76. Godoy MLD, Godoy JM, Artaxo P. Aerosol source apportionment around a large coal fired power plant—thermoelectric Complex Jorge Lacerda, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Atmos Environ. 2005;39:5307–24.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  77. Tran NQV, Miyake K. Neurodevelopmental disorders and environmental toxicants: epigenetics as an underlying mechanism. Int J Genom. 2017;2017:7526592.

    Google Scholar 

  78. Dunn GA, Nigg JT, Sullivan EL. Neuroinflammation as a risk factor for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2019;182:22–34.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  79. Juda-Rezler K, Kowalczyk D. Size distribution and trace elements contents of coal fly ash from pulverized boilers. Pol J Environ Stud. 2013;22:25–40.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  80. Medina A, Gamero P, Querol X, Moreno N, De León B, Almanza M, et al. Fly ash from a Mexican mineral coal I: mineralogical and chemical characterization. J Hazard Mater. 2010;181:82–90.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank Abby Hagemeyer, Lindsay Tompkins, Chisom Odoh, Jack Pfeiffer, Carol Norton, Jillian Winn, and Paula Kingsolver for their assistance with data collection. We would like to thank the community and community leaders for their participation in this study. In addition, the authors would like to acknowledge C. Hanchette (deceased, October 2017) for her contributions to the overall study.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Grant/Award Number: R01ES024757, PI: Zierold). The funding agency did not have a role in the design of the study, in collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the article for publication.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristina M. Zierold.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the University of Louisville (#14.1069) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (#300003807).

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, C.H., Sears, L., Myers, J.V. et al. Proximity to coal-fired power plants and neurobehavioral symptoms in children. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 32, 124–134 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-021-00369-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-021-00369-7

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links