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MONDAY, April 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Retirement of coal-fired power plants or installation of stricter emissions controls is associated with better asthma-related outcomes, according to a study published online April 13 in Nature Energy<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Joan A. Casey, Ph.D., from University of California in Berkeley, and colleagues evaluated health impacts linked to power plant air pollution in Louisville, Kentucky, where one coal-fired power plant was retired and converted to natural gas and three others installed sulfur dioxide (SO2<\/sub>) emission control systems between 2013 and 2016.<\/p>\n The researchers used dispersion modeling, which determined that exposure to SO2<\/sub> emissions from these power plants decreased after the energy transitions. Difference-in-differences, first-difference, and interrupted time-series modeling all showed that the emissions control installations and plant retirements were associated with a reduced asthma disease burden, as measured by hospitalizations and emergency room visits at the ZIP-code level (three fewer hospitalizations and emergency visits per ZIP code per quarter in the following year). Additionally, individual-level use of rescue medication (determined by digital medication sensors) decreased immediately by 17 percent and was maintained thereafter.<\/p>\n “This is the first study to use digital inhaler sensors to understand the health effects of reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants,” a coauthor said in a statement. “We hope this evidence will encourage government officials to support stricter standards when regulating coal-fired power plants and encourage us towards cleaner power options, thereby protecting the health of the people who live near these facilities.”<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed financial ties to Propeller Health, which provided the digital sensors used in the study.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n