Environmental Burden of Disease from Coal-Fired Power Plants in Germany

This research article estimates the environmental burden of disease (EBD) due to long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions from hard coal- and lignite-fired power plants in Germany for the year 2015. The study employs a chemical transport model to assess the contribution of coal-fired power plants to total air pollutant concentration and combines this data with population exposure metrics. The findings indicate that PM2.5 emissions from lignite result in a higher burden of disease compared to hard coal emissions, with 7,866 years of life lost (YLL) attributed to lignite versus 6,412 YLL from hard coal. Furthermore, NO2 emissions from lignite are responsible for 13,537 YLL, which is 2.3 times higher than the 5,906 YLL from hard coal. The study concludes that reducing reliance on coal-fired power generation could significantly decrease the burden of disease in Germany, particularly concerning cardiovascular diseases, which are predominantly affected by these pollutants.