"Just three facilities near Pittsburgh cost the state $16 million in lost economic activity annually, according to a new report."
"PITTSBURGH — Pollution from Pennsylvania’s three remaining coal-based steelmaking plants cause an estimated 50 to 92 premature deaths each year, according to a new report.
The report, published by Industrious Labs, an environmental advocacy organization focused on decarbonizing heavy industry, looked at pollution and health data to estimate the total, facility-level, and state-level costs of the 17 coal-based steelmaking plants that are still in operation across the U.S., located in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan and Virginia.
Coal-based steelmaking involves heating coal to extremely high temperatures to convert it to coke, a key ingredient in steelmaking. The process emits large volumes of toxic pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM2.5), benzene and lead compounds. Exposure to coke oven emissions is linked to cancer, respiratory disease and heart disease.
“Steel communities have been sounding the alarm on harmful air pollution for years, and this report quantifies just how devastating and far-reaching the consequences are,” Hilary Lewis, steel director at Industrious Labs, said in a statement."
Kristina Marusic reports for The Daily Climate October 23, 2024.
Advertisement 
