13,200 deaths, 9,700 hospitalizations

[Robb]

"...And more than 20,000 heart attacks per year."

Hypothesis: it's not nuclear energy that's the problem, although it's certainly a big part of it. It's just energy, and that we use too much of it, demand it too cheap, and fail to regulate sufficiently at both ends -- producer and consumer. Food for thought:

http://www.catf.us/resources/publications/files/The_Toll_from_Coal.pdf">The Toll from Coal

(snip)

Results from this latest assessment indicate that although coal plant emissions of key particle-forming pollutants like sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have declined significantly over the last several years, existing plants remain among the top contributors to fine particle pollution in the United States. As a result, their emissions continue to take a significant toll on the health and longevity of millions of Americans.

Specifically, Abt Associate’s analysis finds that fine particle pollution from existing coal plants is expected to cause nearly 13,200 deaths in 2010. Additional impacts include an estimated 9,700 hospitalizations and more than 20,000 heart attacks per year. The total monetized value of these adverse health impacts adds up to more than $100 billion per year.

This burden is not distributed evenly across the population. Adverse impacts are especially severe for the elderly, children, and those with respiratory disease. In addition, the poor, minority groups, and people who live in areas downwind of multiple power plants are likely to be disproportionately exposed to the health risks and costs of fine particle pollution......

We need to be looking at a broader picture -- not to diminish the nuclear disaster, which is plenty big enough. But the broad picture is worse.

[godai]

1. from coal use n/t

[NYC_SKP]

2. sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) and CO2....

Coal and Petroleum will be the death of us all.

And "clean" natural gas, well, I dunno.

[Robb]

4. My plan has always been

...if T. Boone is fer somethin', I'll be agin' it. ;)

[catzies]

3. Right you are. We consume voraciously, most of us without much thought to implications/repercussions

You're pretty smart for a dingbat.

[BeFree]

5. So

We do not have sustainable lifestyles?

Who knew? The hippies.

[hunter]

6. These rates will accelerate with climate change.

Starvation and pandemics attributable to fossil fuels are going to be a huge killer.