Coal is one of the most dangerous pollutant for cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.
The new research suggests that coal is the king among pollutants that causes heart disease. The study which was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, said that exposure to emissions of coal-fired power plant for a long period of time can offer dangerous effects to the heart.
The research was conducted by examining 450,000 individuals in almost 100 cities in the United States. The objective of the survey was to evaluate the connection of different pollutants to cardiovascular diseases. The collected data was estimated to be from 1982 to 2004.
The results show that those individuals who were exposed to the tiny particles for almost 20 years due to the coal power plant emissions have five times higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Those who were exposed to other air pollutants were found to have smaller chances of dying because of heart attack.
In a statement, George Thurston, one of the co-author of the study explained that coal burning should be minimized in order to lessen the amount of air pollutants.
"If we want to reduce air pollution, the source we want to focus on eliminating is in coal burning. The message is that the source that is the biggest problem for climate change is also the biggest air pollution problem for health," stated by the professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine.
Study shows that the burning of coal can produced tiny particles of solids which contain a mixture of toxins such as arsenic and selenium. Toxins can cause adverse effects to body if inhaled for a long period of time.
In the United States, 18 percent of its energy consumption basically comes from coal power plants. For the past years, coal has been the alternative source for energy production because of its efficiency to produce considerable amount of energy.
