Deaths per TWh for all energy sources: Rooftop solar power relatively dangerous

Re:Deaths per TWh for all energy sources: Rooftop solar powe... by 3pt14159 on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @07:45AM (#2326982)

Woah, so that basically means that for coal in the US of the 3 or 4 cents per khw (wholesale price, not yet transmitted to your house) there is a hidden cost that is between 35 and 50% more, assuming $1mm / life (a standard non-conservative assumption by engineers). So basically coal isn't worth it at all? It's not just nuclear, natural gas could be made cheaper (and greener) than coal after you take in the human life costs. I also question why the oil cost in human life is so high. Do they take into account oil related conflicts like the Gulf War?

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Re:Deaths per TWh for all energy sources: Rooftop solar powe... by 2arrs2ells on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @08:50AM (#2327182)

If we had more Pigovian taxes in the US (i.e. a carbon tax), the cost of coal would more accurately include all of negative effects (or externalities) it has. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigovian_tax

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Re:Deaths per TWh for all energy sources: Rooftop solar powe... by JoeAltmaier on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @11:14AM (#2327835)

I'm doubtful that the large round number quoted as deaths due to coal pollution have any foundation. China has half a million? How can we know that? Its such a large, round, made-up number.

Fewer people die from car accidents. I know several dead from car accidents. Why don't I know one person dead from "coal pollution"?

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Re:Deaths per TWh for all energy sources: Rooftop solar powe... by advnano2045 on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @07:37PM (#2329982)

Global health risk studies (by the world Health Organization) compiled many other health impact studies. It was easiest for them to analyze and correlate particulate matter (10 micron and 2.5 micron)

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/03/global-health-risks.html

http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GlobalHe...

In the year 2004, outdoor air pollution in urban areas was responsible for almost 1.2 million deaths (2% of all deaths) and 0.6% of the global burden of disease

Exposure to particulate matter, including metals, has been linked to a range of adverse health outcomes, including modest transient changes in the respiratory tract and impaired pulmonary function, increased risk of symptoms requiring emergency room or hospital treatment, and increased risk of death from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases or lung cancer. Particulate matter is estimated to cause about 8% of deaths from lung cancer, 5% of deaths from cardiopulmonary disease and about 3% of deaths from respiratory infections.

The impact of outdoor air pollution on the burden of disease in the world’s cities is large, but an assessment of sources of uncertainty, including the fact that only mortality impacts of exposure to PM were estimated, suggests that the impact is actually underestimated.

The coal pollution deaths are increased heart attacks and lung disease and more hospitalization from asthma and other illnesses.

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Re:Deaths per TWh for all energy sources: Rooftop solar powe... by derobert on Tuesday March 15, 2011 @02:32PM (#2328764)

Because coal pollution isn't listed as a cause of death (just like all pollution). It raises the incidence of many other diseases, and those diseases are listed as the cause of death. Coal also has additional direct deaths in e.g., mining accidents.

The numbers are nice round numbers because, well, there are somewhat imprecise. Looking up actual studies that came up with them would give methodology & margins of error.

Compare to, for example, smoking. The cause of death will be e.g., lung cancer. But had he not smoked for 30 years, he probably would have lived longer.

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