PULSE: Resources Section

Coal Combustion, Inc. wants you to learn about what coal is, its quality, how coal burns, and how it impacts our environment. They cover coal chemistry and physical properties, how different types of coal impact the operation of power plants, and how coal quality issues challenge both the buyer and seller of coal. They can improve your understanding of the economicand environmental impact that fuel types and qualities have on pollution, performance and cost. Call 1-866-355-COAL (2625) or email for more information. Address: 114 South Main Street Versailles, KY 40383

Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) has artciles on coal burning and combustion.

Association between Arsenic Exposure from a Coal-Burning Power Plant and Urinary Arsenic Concentrations in Prievidza District, Slovakia HTML | PDF

Association of Fine Particulate Matter from Different Sources with Daily Mortality in Six U.S. Cities HTML | PDF

Teplice Program--The Impact of Air Pollution on Human Health HTML

PAir Quality in Postunification Erfurt, East Germany: Associating Changes in Pollutant Concentrations with Changes in Emissions HTML | PDF

World Coal Institute is a non-profit, non-governmental organization of coal enterprises and associations - the only international body working on a worldwide basis on behalf of the coal industry. Their key objective is to provide a voice for coal

in international energy and environment policy and research discussions. To that end, they undertake lobbying, publish material which will improve decision makers' understanding of coal and organise workshops.

WCI Coal Info

Coal Statistics

Environment & Society

Voice of Coal

Coal Image from 1000 Links on fossil fuels

One Thousand Links <http://www.bydesign.com/fossilfuels/links/index.html> promotes learning how North America uses fossil fuels. This site is a good starting point for teachers and students who want to learn more about how North America uses its fossil fuel resources. Coal is our most abundant fossil fuel resource. Coal is a complex mixture of organic chemical substances containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in chemical combination, together with smaller amounts of nitrogen and sulfur.

Coal Combustion: Nuclear Resoruce or Danger By Alex Gabbard This is a paper offering informative facts about coal combustion including charts, diagrams, and other basic prevalent knowledge on coal combustion and whether it is a nuclear resource or a danger. As the world's population increases, the demands for all resources, particularly fuel for electricity, is expected to increase. To meet the demand for electric power, the world population is expected to rely increasingly on combustion of fossil fuels, primarily coal. The world has about 1500 years of known coal resources at the current use rate. The graph below to the right shows the growth in U.S. and world coal combustion for the 50 years preceding 1988, along with projections beyond the year 2040. Using the concentration of uranium and thorium indicated above, the graph below to the left illustrates the historical release quantities of these elements and the releases that can be expected during the first half of the next century, given the predicted growth trends.

United States and world combustion of coal (in millions of metric tons) has increased steadily from 1937 to present. It is expected to increase even more between now and beyond 2040.

Chart showing that the U.S. and world release of uranium and thorium (in metric tons) from coal combustion has risen steadily since 1937.

The Mercury Policy Project (MPP) works to promote policies to eliminate mercury uses, reduce the export and trafficking of mercury, and significantly reduce mercury exposures at the local, national, and international levels. We strive to work harmoniously with other groups and individuals who have similar goals and interests. For more information about this project contact Michael Bender at 1-802-223-9000 or Jane Williams at (805) 256-0968 or Felice Stadler at (202) 797-6692.

Portal 31 Kentucky's First Exhibtion Coal Mine Header with old Photographs

Portal 31 Kentucky's First Exhibition Coal Mine

In 1917 the U.S. Coal & Coke Company, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, built the community of Lynch, Kentucky, then the world's largest coal camp. The coal camp was built on part of the 19,000 acres the company had purchased in the southeastern tip of Harlan County, near the Virginia border. The camp's population peaked at about 10,000 persons but the reported figures vary because of the transient nature of the miners and their families at that time. One thousand company owned structures provided housing for people of 38 nationalities, the most prominent of which were Italian, Spanish, Czech, Polish, English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish. By the 1940s this mining complex employed more than 4000 persons above and below ground.

The EPA has information on the Coal Combustion Products Partnership. You can read about the benefits of using CCPs. Studies and research conducted or supported by EPA, Electric Power and Research Institute (EPRI), government agencies, and universities indicates that the beneficial uses of coal combustion products have not been shown to present significant risks to human health or the environment. The EPA also has information on the Coal Combustion Waste Fill Minefill Site Visits. From September 2001 to October 2002, EPA conducted visits to nine States to collect information regarding the regulation of coal combustion waste (CCW) minefill management practices within those States. The visits consisted of meetings with State regulators, and, in most cases, visits to sites where CCW has been or is currently being placed.

Contents on this webpage were developed by Stephanie Nardei Outreach Information Specialist, Center of Toxicology, Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, University of Arizona.