Coal ash threats to nearby communities have intensified as rain and hurricanes, amplified by climate change, increase exposure. Residents living near coal ash dumps report cancer rates that feel abnormal. Research by Kristina Zierold at the University of Mississippi links children exposed to coal ash with higher depression risk and worse school performance. Her work began in 2011 and received a National Institutes of Health grant in 2015 to study neurobiological health in children ages 6 to 14. Home air and dust sampling collected coal ash, and children were tested for neurobehavioral and mental health conditions. Poor school performance can cascade into adulthood, and childhood depression can contribute to poor social interaction, learning deficits, and suicide. The 2008 Kingston Fossil Plant spill is cited as a major US industrial disaster, with cleanup workers reportedly denied protective gear and told the ash was clean enough to eat; hundreds became sick and dozens died.
#coal-ash-pollution #public-health #child-neurobehavioral-health #climate-change-impacts #epa-regulation
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