The Negative Effects of Mining Coal

Do you think coal is having more or less negative impacts than positive?  There has been a high amount of natural disasters because of coal. Also when people burn coal, it releases a high amount carbon dioxide which is causing global warming. Here are 3 negative things that coal is causing, acid mine drainage, air pollution from air fired mine plants, and coal fires.

Acid mine drainage is the flow of water in the mine. When too much water is flowing inside of the mine, it uncovers many rocks that contain sulphur-bearing mineral pyrite. It mixes the air and the water to form dissolved iron which is bad for the mine. The combination of this forms an acid which can now be put into nearby river, lakes, streams, and ponds.

When there is air pollution from the coal-fired power plants, the air in the sky gets polluted giving various animals a bad living environment. When coal gets generated to form electricity, it releases a combination of toxins into the sky that are bad for the human body. The United States of America’s power plants produce more hazardous air pollution than any other power source.

Coal fires occur when a mine is in operation and abandoned coal mines catch fire. These fires usually start from spontaneous combustion. Certain minerals in coal ignite the fire making it easier to burn, often trapping the miners inside the mine. These fires often create health hazards for the human repertory system.

Finally we need to cut down on the burning of coal. I have provided you with three well thought out reasons why we should not being burning coal Maybe when we stop using coal, we can start using better resources for energy like the wind, I think that will be a lot healthier for the earth than mining coal. Furthermore, we should stop burning coal, and start figuring out some new resources to be using to get energy.

So do you still think we should mine for coal?

Do you think that we should use a different energy source?

Can you think of another natural resource that we can use for energy?

 

6 thoughts on “The Negative Effects of Mining Coal

  1. You did a really nice job on your topic but some of your information is a little off. For example they actually have clean way of mining coal safely without any pollution in the air. Many people like to believe that this is not true because of their belief in alternative energy. Overall you had a nice post.
    http://www.osmre.gov/programs/oversight.shtm

  2. I thought you did a very nice job on writing about the effects on Mining coal. Your information was pleading that the pollution from the coal being burned shows how coal isnt a very safe thing to be doing. I liked the information about how when the coal is burned to make electricity, it also is letting off a very toxic gas that is harmful. Overall I thought that you could of maybe talked about what the effects of coal mining does to the human body, but and overall great job and very great information on the topic of Coal Mining. Check this video out on how coal is very dangerous to people and society! http://www.mesothelioma-mesothelioma.org/blacklung.htm http://www.mesothelioma-mesothelioma.org/blacklung.htm

  3. I learned Acid mine drainage is the flow of water in the mine. When too much water is flowing inside of the mine, it uncovers many rocks that contain sulphur-bearing mineral pyrite. It mixes the air and the water to form dissolved iron which is bad for the mine. The combination of this forms an acid which can now be put into nearby river, lakes, streams, and ponds.No we shouldn’t keep mining for coal because the carbon dioxide that it releases is harming our enviroment and is causing global warming. I think we should convert to more wind energy and solar energy because it is a lot cleaner than coal is. We could you corn for biofeul as energy since it is renewable. Here is the website I used to help me with my comment-
    http://www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com/coal_mining.htm

  4. I thought you did a really great job on your blog. I Agree that we need to find another source of an energy source. Coal is bad for our enviorment and the workers that deal with extracting the source. Chronic exposure to coal dust can lead to black lung disease, or pneumoconiosis, which took the lives of 10,000 miners worldwide over the last decade (Roberts 2). According to the article Healt Effects Of Coal, Coal combustion contributes to smog through the release of oxides of nitrogen, which react with volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight to produce ground-level ozone, the primary ingredient in smog. Air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) and fine particulate matter adversely affect lung development.
    http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Health_effects_of_coal

  5. Not only does mining coal have a negative effect on the environment, but it also affects the miners negatively as well. While underground the miners risk their respiratory systems by taking in all the harmful dust and debris that the body can’t break down correctly. Due to this miners can suffer from different types of lung diseases. Black lung disease has been the most common of the lung diseases developed by coal miners. After the coal dust has been lodge within the lung tissue the tissue will begin to scar after so long. To further search the harmful disease and its effects on the miners you can go to the link I’ve posted at the bottom.
    http://www.mesothelioma-mesothelioma.org/blacklung.htm

  6. I thought you did a really good job on this blog. This is a really good topic to disgust; I think people need to find another reliable source then coal. There has been much death in America from mine coaling. I thought it was interesting to find out that many natural disasters have been the cause of coal mining. Also coal can create health hazards and forest fires and endanger the species and people around that area. Here is a web site to fallow up your blog. Check it out! Yes I think we should. Also yes because it will not hurt our environment. The sun. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/coal/Mining-impacts/

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