Exposure to fine particulate air pollutants from coal-fired power plants (coal PM2.5) is associated with a risk of mortality more than double that of exposure to PM2.5 from other sources, say researchers after examining emissions data and Medicare records.

Between 1999 and 2020, 460,000 deaths among Medicare enrollees were attributable to coal-fired power plants; 10 of these plants each contributed at least 5,000 deaths, according to the study led by George Mason University, The University of Texas at Austin, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.