Trains carrying a great deal of coal bring with them higher rates of asthma, heart disease, hospitalization and death for residents living nearest the rail lines, in response to a brand new study from the University of California, Davis.
The study, published online today within the journal Environmental Research, focuses on the San Francisco Bay Area and is the primary health impact assessment of coal train pollution on this planet.
It found that coal train pollution has significant health effects that disproportionately impact communities of color and people who find themselves young, old, or have low incomes.
While centered on East Bay neighborhoods, the study carries implications for communities worldwide living alongside passing coal trains. At the very least 80 countries use coal power, which generates about 40% of the world’s electricity.
“These trains run all around the world, exposing the poorest populations who often live near the train tracks,” said lead creator Bart Ostro, a scientist with the UC Davis Air Quality Research Center. “In consequence, these impacts have local and global implications.”
Coal, and more coal
The study includes parts of Oakland, Berkeley, Martinez and Richmond, where coal is already being transported from Utah mines by rail. The assessment specifically centers on the potential health impacts of a proposed coal terminal under review, which could bring an extra 7.4 million tons of coal per 12 months by rail to the Port of Oakland.
“That translates to about 10 trains per week potentially passing through a densely populated urban area,” Ostro said. “The trains constantly generate microscopic particles — — called PM2.5, or wonderful particles, that are regulated by the U.S. EPA. This ends in chronic exposures. The particles can infiltrate the lungs and bloodstream and pose serious health risks.”
Health impacts of coal trains
To quantify the health impacts of PM2.5 emitted from passing coal trains, the study authors integrated air quality data with medical and demographic information using software mapping and evaluation programs. They ran different scenarios for increases in PM2.5 for the roughly 262,000 individuals who could be exposed.
They found that, under essentially the most severe scenario — a rise in annual wonderful particulates of two.1 micrograms per cubic meter of air — six additional people could be expected to die annually amongst this population.
When the authors adjusted the evaluation to include the upper risks for people of color, an estimated 15 total deaths were possible.
The study results also suggested:
- 28 additional hospital admissions for heart disease.
- 22 recent cases of asthma.
- 17 additional cases of pneumonia.
- 58,000 additional days of asthma attributable to coal train transit.
Several of those outcomes represent a 3 to six% increase over current levels.
Under a less severe scenario (1 microgram per cubic meter of air), additional yearly health impacts could be about 50% lower.
Race-specific estimates
The study also provided race-specific estimates, finding that Hispanic and Black residents have 41% and 29% higher levels of PM25.5 exposure, respectively, relative to White residents.
“Our study is a microcosm of what likely affects thousands and thousands of city residents throughout the world living near passing, uncovered coal trains that deliver coal to power plants and export terminals,” said Ostro.
Additional co-authoring institutions include UC Irvine and the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
The research was supported by the California Air Resources Board Community Air Monitoring Grant Program and the UC Davis Environmental Health Science Center.
