IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jrpoli/v76y2022ics0301420722000186.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Surface coal mining and public health disparities: Evidence from Appalachia

Author

Listed:
  • Mueller, Rose M.

Abstract

Previous research in the public health and epidemiology literatures has highlighted that coal-producing counties in Appalachia exhibit morbidity and mortality rates higher than those in the rest of the United States. However, these studies primarily use cross-sectional data, rely on singular measures of mortality, such as the age-adjusted mortality rate, and solely measure mining activity that occurs within a county’s jurisdictional boundary. To address these limitations, I combine more than three decades of data on coal-mining activity and county-level mortality rates to quantify the association between surface coal production and mortality risk and highlight inequities in this relationship across demographic groups. I find increases in nearby surface coal-mining activity is associated with increased mortality rates from cardiovascular disease among the population over age 65. Results from this study support an expedited transition away from U.S. production of coal, which would mitigate the effects of climate change and would also address concerns about inequitably experienced local pollution exposure from extraction activities.

Suggested Citation

  • Mueller, Rose M., 2022. "Surface coal mining and public health disparities: Evidence from Appalachia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:76:y:2022:i:c:s0301420722000186
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.102567
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301420722000186
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.102567?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hendryx, Michael & Holland, Benjamin, 2016. "Unintended consequences of the Clean Air Act: Mortality rates in Appalachian coal mining communities," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-6.
    2. Meredith Fowlie & Edward Rubin & Reed Walker, 2019. "Bringing Satellite-Based Air Quality Estimates Down to Earth," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 109, pages 283-288, May.
    3. Reid Johnsen & Jacob LaRiviere & Hendrik Wolff, 2019. "Fracking, Coal, and Air Quality," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 6(5), pages 1001-1037.
    4. repec:rri:wpaper:200801 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Gilbert E. Metcalf & Qitong Wang, 2019. "Abandoned by Coal, Swallowed by Opioids?," NBER Working Papers 26551, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Cynthia Lu & Paramita Dasgupta & Jessica Cameron & Lin Fritschi & Peter Baade, 2021. "A systematic review and meta-analysis on international studies of prevalence, mortality and survival due to coal mine dust lung disease," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(8), pages 1-29, August.
    7. Surber, Sarah J. & Simonton, D. Scott, 2017. "Disparate impacts of coal mining and reclamation concerns for West Virginia and central Appalachia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-8.
    8. Nicholas Z. Muller & Robert Mendelsohn & William Nordhaus, 2011. "Environmental Accounting for Pollution in the United States Economy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(5), pages 1649-1675, August.
    9. Zullig, K.J. & Hendryx, M., 2011. "Health-related quality of life among central appalachian residents in mountaintop mining counties," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 101(5), pages 848-853.
    10. Hendryx, M. & Ahern, M.M., 2008. "Relations between health indicators and residential proximity to coal mining in West Virginia," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(4), pages 669-671.
    11. Paul B. Stretesky & Michael J. Lynch, 2011. "Coal Strip Mining, Mountaintop Removal, and the Distribution of Environmental Violations across the United States, 2002-2008," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(2), pages 209-230, April.
    12. Corbett Grainger & Andrew Schreiber, 2019. "Discrimination in Ambient Air Pollution Monitoring?," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 109, pages 277-282, May.
    13. Luke G. Fitzpatrick, 2018. "Surface Coal Mining and Human Health: Evidence from West Virginia," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 84(4), pages 1109-1128, April.
    14. Michael Hendryx & Kathryn O'Donnell & Kimberly Horn, 2008. "Lung Cancer Mortality Is Elevated in Coal Mining Areas of Appalachia," Working Papers Working Paper 2008-01, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Josh Blonz & Brigitte Roth Tran & Erin E. Troland, 2023. "The Canary in the Coal Decline: Appalachian Household Finance and the Transition from Fossil Fuels," NBER Working Papers 31072, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Surber, Sarah J. & Simonton, D. Scott, 2017. "Disparate impacts of coal mining and reclamation concerns for West Virginia and central Appalachia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-8.
    2. Chu, Yin & Holladay, J. Scott & Qiu, Yun & Tian, Xian-Liang & Zhou, Maigeng, 2023. "Air pollution and mortality impacts of coal mining: Evidence from coalmine accidents in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    3. Sarah J. Surber, 2021. "A conceptual model for integrating community health in managing remediation of West Virginia and central Appalachia’s abandoned coal mines," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 1563-1578, February.
    4. Shi, Ruoding & Meacham, Susan L. & Davis, George C. & You, Wen & Sun, Yu & Goessl, Cody, 2017. "Understanding Elevated Mortality Disparities in Virginia Coal Regions: Extract Coal-Mining Health Effect from Other Major Risk Factors," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258374, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Giaccherini, Matilde & Kopinska, Joanna & Palma, Alessandro, 2021. "When particulate matter strikes cities: Social disparities and health costs of air pollution," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    6. Ferro, Simone & Palma, Alessandro & Serra, Chiara & Stafoggia, Massimo, 2024. "Beyond birth: The medium-term health impact of prenatal exposure to air pollution," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    7. Linn, Joshua & Holt, Christopher, 2023. "Targeted Regulation for Reducing High-Ozone Events," RFF Working Paper Series 23-02, Resources for the Future.
    8. Adler, David B. & Jha, Akshaya & Severnini, Edson, 2020. "Considering the nuclear option: Hidden benefits and social costs of nuclear power in the U.S. since 1970," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    9. Edoardo Porto & Joanna Kopinska & Alessandro Palma, 2021. "Labor market effects of dirty air. Evidence from administrative data," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 38(3), pages 887-921, October.
    10. Deiana, Claudio & Giua, Ludovica, 2023. "This site is closed! The effect of decommissioning mining waste facilities on mortality in the long run," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    11. Boslett, Andrew & Hill, Elaine, 2022. "Mortality during resource booms and busts," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    12. Chu, Yin & Holladay, J. Scott & Qiu, Yun & Tian, Xian-Liang & Zhou, Maigeng, 2023. "Air Pollution and Mortality Impacts of Coal Mining: Evidence from Coalmine Accidents in China," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1302, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    13. Gayatree Sahoo & Asis Kumar Senapati, 2021. "Are the households in coal mining regions more vulnerable? A study in Talcher Coalfield of India," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 34(3), pages 455-475, October.
    14. Hausman, Catherine & Stolper, Samuel, 2021. "Inequality, information failures, and air pollution," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    15. Carozzi, Felipe & Roth, Sefi, 2023. "Dirty density: Air quality and the density of American cities," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    16. Liu, Shen & Colson, Gregory & Hao, Na & Wetzstein, Michael, 2018. "Toward an optimal household solar subsidy: A social-technical approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 377-387.
    17. Erik P. Johnson & Juan Moreno-Cruz, 2020. "Congestion in the Electricity Transmission System Redistributes Pollution across Long Distances," CESifo Working Paper Series 8483, CESifo.
    18. Joseph E. Aldy & Robert N. Stavins, 2021. "Rolling The Dice In The Corridors Of Power: William Nordhaus’S Impacts On Climate Change Policy," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Robert Mendelsohn (ed.), CLIMATE CHANGE ECONOMICS Commemoration of Nobel Prize for William Nordhaus, chapter 1, pages 1-18, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    19. Joseph S. Shapiro & Reed Walker, 2018. "Why Is Pollution from US Manufacturing Declining? The Roles of Environmental Regulation, Productivity, and Trade," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(12), pages 3814-3854, December.
    20. David A Keiser & Joseph S Shapiro, 2019. "Consequences of the Clean Water Act and the Demand for Water Quality," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(1), pages 349-396.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:76:y:2022:i:c:s0301420722000186. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/30467 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.