Potential Human Health Impacts Associated with Retirement of Nuclear Power Plants in Illinois

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) used US EPA COBRA modeling to estimate that retiring four Illinois nuclear plants (Byron, Dresden, Braidwood, and LaSalle) would lead to significant increases in PM2.5 pollution. Over a ten-year period, this shift is projected to cause between 1,200 and 2,700 premature deaths and $10 to $24 billion in monetized damages. While the pollution sources are spread across ten states, the most severe health impacts are concentrated in the Midwest.

• The retirement of four nuclear power plants in Illinois—Byron, Dresden, Braidwood, and LaSalle—is projected to cause cumulative health impacts over ten years, including between 1,200 and almost 2,700 premature deaths and over 30,000 additional asthma attacks and respiratory symptoms.
• The economic cost of the increased air pollution resulting from these plant closures is estimated at $10 to $24 billion over a ten-year period, with annual damages ranging from $1 to $2.4 billion. Approximately 99% of these costs are attributed to premature mortality.
• The loss of zero-emission nuclear generation would lead to increased emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from replacement fossil fuel generators. Illinois is the largest contributor to these increases, accounting for 28% of SO2, 29% of NOx, and 33% of PM2.5 emission changes.
• While emission increases occur across multiple states, the health impacts are distributed based on population density and pollution drift. Illinois is projected to have the highest annual health impacts among all states, including 10-24 premature deaths, 299 asthma exacerbations, and 1,329 work loss days.
• The analysis indicates that the retirement of five Vistra Energy coal-fueled power plants (Coffeen, Duck Creek, Havana, Hennepin, and E.D. Edwards) would not significantly alter the overall health impact of the nuclear plant closures, as the loss of coal generation would be offset by other sources.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Potential Human Health Impacts Associated with Retirement of Nuclear Power Plants in Illinois. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093616/IL-Study.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Potential Human Health Impacts Associated with Retirement of Nuclear Power Plants in Illinois. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093616/IL-Study.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Potential Human Health Impacts Associated with Retirement of Nuclear Power Plants in Illinois |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093616/IL-Study.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendpotential, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Potential Human Health Impacts Associated with Retirement of Nuclear Power Plants in Illinois}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093616/IL-Study.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }