The Toll From Coal

The report estimates that fine particle pollution from existing U.S. coal plants would cause nearly 13,200 deaths and over 20,000 heart attacks in 2010, with a total monetized health cost exceeding $100 billion per year. While emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have declined since 2004 due to the installation of over 130 scrubbers and regulations like the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), the burden remains high, particularly in the Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic regions. The authors argue for a stronger Transport Rule and national emission caps to further reduce these health risks.

• Fine particle pollution from existing coal-fired power plants in the United States is projected to cause nearly 13,200 premature deaths in 2010, along with an estimated 9,700 hospitalizations and more than 20,000 heart attacks annually.
• The total annual monetized value of adverse health impacts resulting from existing coal plants is estimated to be more than $100 billion.
• Public health outcomes have improved since 2004 due to significant reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, which fell from 10.3 million tons in 2004 to 5.7 million tons in 2009. This progress is attributed to the installation of over 130 flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems, or scrubbers, driven by the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), New Source Review (NSR) enforcement, and state laws.
• Health risks are distributed unevenly, with the highest per capita mortality risk found in West Virginia (14.7 deaths per 100,000 adults). Pennsylvania and Ohio also show high mortality risks at 13.9 per 100,000 adults each.
• Small metropolitan areas in "coal country" face higher individual risks than large cities; for example, the mortality risk in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (25.5 per 100,000) is more than four times that of New York City (nearly 6 per 100,000).
• A small number of plants contribute disproportionately to health impacts, with the ten worst plants responsible for over 1,600 premature deaths annually. The Monroe plant in Michigan is the highest contributor, causing an estimated 278 deaths per year.
• The report advocates for the EPA to finalize a stringent Transport Rule and for Congress to set national power plant SO2 emission caps at 2 million tons per year by 2015 and 1.5 million tons by 2018, and a NOx cap at 1.6 million tons in 2015.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2010). The Toll From Coal. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/21094102/CATF_Pub_TheTollFromCoal.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. The Toll From Coal. 2010. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/21094102/CATF_Pub_TheTollFromCoal.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=The Toll From Coal |date=September 2010 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/21094102/CATF_Pub_TheTollFromCoal.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2010toll, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{The Toll From Coal}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2010}, month = sep, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/21094102/CATF_Pub_TheTollFromCoal.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }