The health effects associated with ambient pollution arising from the proposed Lephalale Coal and Power Project (LCPP) and critique of selected reports

The report argues that the proposed Lephalale Coal and Power Project (LCPP) poses substantial health risks to surrounding communities in Limpopo, South Africa. It critiques the project's official Air Quality Impact Assessment (AQIA) for failing to provide quantifiable health risk estimates and for relying on weak national air quality standards. In contrast, the report supports findings from the Centre for Research into Energy and Clean Air (CREA), which identifies significant morbidity and mortality risks and an 'unfunded liability' of US$33.6 billion in externalised health costs. The author provides a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed literature linking coal-related pollutants—including particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), nitrogen oxides, and mercury—to respiratory, cardiovascular, neurocognitive, and maternal health disorders, as well as various cancers.

• The project's Air Quality Impact Assessment (AQIA) is fundamentally flawed because it does not provide meaningful estimates of health risks for affected communities and relies on South African National Air Quality Standards, which are weaker than World Health Organization guidelines.
• The Centre for Research into Energy and Clean Air (CREA) report identifies a massive economic burden of 'unfunded liability' totaling US$33,600 million, which is externalised from the project owners to the government and affected households.
• Coal-related pollutants, specifically PM2.5 and NO2, are linked to significant respiratory outcomes, including a 1.07 odds ratio for new asthma cases per 10 μg/m3 increase in NO2 and a 1.16 odds ratio for PM2.5.
• Cardiovascular risks are well-established, with a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 associated with a hazard ratio of 1.10 for general cardiovascular disease and a 10% increase in myocardial infarction for long-term exposure.
• Antenatal exposure to coal-related pollutants is associated with adverse birth outcomes, including lower birth weight (22g lower per 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5), preterm birth, and spontaneous abortions.
• There is evidence that PM2.5 and NO2 exposure leads to neurocognitive declines in adults and increased risks of autism, ADHD, and dementia.
• Mercury emissions from coal combustion are a major concern, as prenatal exposure through maternal consumption of contaminated fish can lead to neurodevelopmental compromise and a global loss of 12 million IQ points annually.
• Long-term exposure to PM2.5 is strongly associated with increased mortality from lung cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases, with lung cancer mortality showing the strongest association in some European cohorts.
• Emerging evidence suggests that PM and NO2 exposure is associated with chronic kidney disease and autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.
• The author concludes that the communities in the LCPP region will likely experience a greater burden of disease than reported in international literature because their exposure levels are expected to be higher.

APA

Naidoo, R. N. (2023). The health effects associated with ambient pollution arising from the proposed Lephalale Coal and Power Project (LCPP) and critique of selected reports. Centre for Environmental Rights. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Expert-Report-of-Professor-Rajen-Naidoo.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Naidoo, Rajen N. The health effects associated with ambient pollution arising from the proposed Lephalale Coal and Power Project (LCPP) and critique of selected reports. Centre for Environmental Rights, 2023. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Expert-Report-of-Professor-Rajen-Naidoo.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Naidoo |first1=Rajen N |title=The health effects associated with ambient pollution arising from the proposed Lephalale Coal and Power Project (LCPP) and critique of selected reports |publisher=Centre for Environmental Rights |date=5 March 2023 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Expert-Report-of-Professor-Rajen-Naidoo.pdf?x21779 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naidoo2023health, author = {Naidoo, Rajen N}, title = {{The health effects associated with ambient pollution arising from the proposed Lephalale Coal and Power Project (LCPP) and critique of selected reports}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Expert-Report-of-Professor-Rajen-Naidoo.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }