Report from Iowa Environmental Council and
health partners finds increased asthma rates in communities with
coal plants
DES
MOINES, Iowa, May 7, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- A new report from the Iowa Environmental Council,
released on World Asthma Day, examines the relationship between
pollution from coal plants and lung disease in Woodbury County.
Written in partnership with public health experts from
organizations including the American Lung Association, Physicians
for Social Responsibility, and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska's Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare
System, Coal in Siouxland: MidAmerican Energy's Legacy of Air
Pollution and Health Impacts highlights how two
coal-fired power plants in northwest Iowa operated by MidAmerican Energy harm the
health of Siouxland, the multi-state, three county region
surrounding Sioux City,
IA.
"The data is clear that Woodbury
County has the highest asthma rate in the state of
Iowa," says Cody Smith, MPA, Senior Policy Associate with
the Iowa Environmental Council. "Pollution from coal plants makes
our communities sicker and drives worse health outcomes, especially
for communities of color and Iowans of low-income."
The report, and its accompanying one-page summary,
demonstrate that the two coal plants have been associated with
causing at least 1,400 premature deaths since 1999 and the region's
rates of asthma and lung cancer outpace statewide
averages.
"Emissions from coal plants pose a serious threat to public
health in Iowa," says John Rachow, MD, PhD, Past President of
Physicians for Social Responsibility. "In low-income communities
with limited access to preventative healthcare, this pollution can
increase expensive emergency room visits and exacerbate existing
health conditions, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD), and various forms of heart disease."
Woodbury County, home to
Sioux City, outpaces the state's
average number of asthma-related emergency department visits. About
12% of people in the region, approximately 17,000 residents, are
currently living in poverty.
"Clean air is essential to fostering community health and to
ensuring that those who are the most vulnerable to pollution,
including the elderly and young children, can live happy, healthy
lives," says David Osterberg, M.S.,
Emeritus Clinical Professor at the Department of Occupational and
Environmental Health, University of
Iowa. "The serious health impacts outlined in this report
represent the lived experience of everyday Iowans. We can no longer
ignore the outsized impact of coal-fired electricity production on
Iowans' health and wellbeing."
Operations began at Siouxland's first coal plant in 1964, and
the two remaining plants emit thousands of tons of pollutants each
year, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), fine
particulate matter (PM), mercury, and other hazardous air
pollutants (HAPs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These
pollutants contribute to the development of heart and lung diseases
and increase the likelihood of respiratory and cardiac
symptoms.
"The data in this report raise troubling questions for us and
should be concerning to all Iowans and to MidAmerican Energy," says
Smith. "Siouxland residents deserve to breathe clean air that
doesn't make them sick. These findings should be a wakeup call for
MidAmerican Energy to take responsibility for how their pollution
is harming Iowans and work quickly to act as a responsible
corporate neighbor."
The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) is the state's
largest and most comprehensive environmental alliance, comprised of
diverse organizations and individuals working together to protect
Iowa's natural environment.
Through education, advocacy and coalition building, the Council
raises awareness, generates action, and creates large-scale change.
We work on federal, state, and local public policy issues to ensure
a just, healthy environment and sustainable future for all
Iowans. Learn more at iaenvironment.org.
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SOURCE Iowa Environmental Council