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Pollution from coal power plants Cause of thousands of deaths in Europe
Air pollution represents an enormous health risk for many people worldwide. In this country too, the situation is often dramatic. This is partly due to coal-fired power plants. According to a new study pollutants from German power plants cause thousands of deaths.
Air pollution endangers health
It has long been known that air pollution is associated with a high health risk. Recently, a study published in the journal "The Lancet Neurology" showed that air pollution significantly increases the risk of stroke. The risk of atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis) and other diseases, such as the lungs, is also increased. It has long been no longer just Asian metropolises in which there is a significant health risk for the population. Even in our latitudes, the situation is often dramatic. Researchers from Austria calculated last year Europe's cities with the highest particulate matter pollution in the future. It is among other things Stuttgart. German coal-fired power plants are a major cause of deadly air pollution in Europe, according to a new study.
According to a new study pollutants from German coal power plants are responsible for the death of several thousand people in other European countries. (Image: martin33 / fotolia.com) German power plants also dangerous for neighboring countries
What comes out of the chimneys of German power stations is apparently also dangerous for neighboring countries. According to the study entitled "Europe's Dark Cloud", the pollutants are responsible for the deaths of several thousand people in other European countries. According to the authors, there were more than 2,500 premature deaths nationwide in 2013. In Italy around 1,600 people died in the same year as a result of polluted air and in France there were more than 1,300 deaths. Across Europe, there were about 23,000. At the same time Germany gets the most dirty air from its neighboring countries for self-produced air pollution.
Myth of the cheap energy source
The study was presented by a pan-European network of non-governmental organizations, including the Alliance Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), the Environmental Foundation WWF, the Climate Action Network (CAN) and the UK think tank Sandbag. The survey evaluated data from 257 of the 280 European coal-fired power plants in Europe. HEAL Director Anne Stauffer said the survey showed how much confidence in coal energy is damaging the health of Europeans. "It also exposes the myth that coal is a cheap source of energy," she said in a statement. According to the European health systems, the deaths and heart and lung diseases as a result of air pollution caused costs of up to € 62.3 billion.
Power plants would have to be shut down
According to the information, Poland was still ahead of Germany in terms of cross-border emissions of particulate matter and other pollutants from coal-fired power stations. In 2013, the air pollution caused there killed more than 4,500 people. Just a few months ago, an expert opinion came to the conclusion that all German coal-fired power plants would have to be shut down if stricter mercury limit values applied here. The mercury emissions of German power plants amount to about seven tons per year. (Ad)