Читать книгу Climate Change For Dummies - Elizabeth May - Страница 86

Coal is a very dirty fuel in terms of releasing GHGs as well as a witch’s brew of nasties. Toxic substances like arsenic and mercury along with cancer-causing chemicals are all released when burning coal.

Because it’s essentially carbon, it releases carbon dioxide when burned, along with many other dangerous pollutants. In December 1952, to cite one dreadful example, a massive lull in air circulation trapped the coal smoke from tens of thousands of London homes over the English city, creating a blanket of pollution. In four days, the deadly smog (the name comes from combining smoke and fog) killed upward of 4,000 people directly, with 8,000 more succumbing to respiratory illnesses later.

Some of the noxious stuff inside coal includes sulfur dioxide, mercury, and a huge array of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (cancer-causing and hormone-disrupting toxic chemicals, also in oil and gas). And it doesn’t stop there. Coal also releases arsenic and cyanide; carcinogens (things that promote cancer), such as benzene, naphthalene, and toluene; and a witch’s brew of other nasties.