{"id":158366,"date":"2026-04-27T17:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T22:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=158366"},"modified":"2026-04-27T17:39:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T22:39:18","slug":"study-links-coal-ash-sites-to-elevated-cancer-risk-nationwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/study-links-coal-ash-sites-to-elevated-cancer-risk-nationwide\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Links Coal Ash Sites to Elevated Cancer Risk Nationwide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

National analysis finds higher cancer rates in communities near impoundments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Counties near coal ash storage facilities are more likely to report higher cancer rates, raising questions about regulation and long-term health risks of such installations, a new study concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University of Mississippi<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0public health professor and senior author Kristina Zierold<\/strong> worked with researchers from the\u00a0University of Louisville<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on a study that found cancer rates are consistently higher in counties and communities that surround coal ash impoundments. They published their findings in\u00a0Environmental Geochemistry and Health.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kristina Zierold. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“What’s in coal ash includes heavy metals, which we know are carcinogenic and are related to a lot of different cancers,” Zierold said. “If you live next to a coal ash surface impoundment or landfill your whole life, you’re being exposed to this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is important because it is an environmental exposure that we can fix.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States produces between\u00a0100 million and 130 million tons<\/a>\u00a0of coal ash each year, much of which is stored in more than\u00a0750 coal ash impoundments<\/a>\u00a0across the country and Puerto Rico<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0states with the highest concentrations of impoundments are <\/strong>Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Texas, but 43 states and Puerto Rico house at least one. Mississippi has four coal ash impoundments in Choctaw, Harrison, Lamar and Jackson counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After analyzing county-level data from across the U.S., the researchers found a consistent pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rates of cancer are consistently higher in the counties surrounding coal ash impoundments, according to a new study based on publicly available data from the National Cancer Institute. Image courtesy Kris Zierold and Charles Zhang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“People living near coal ash impoundments experience higher cancer incidence rates, a pattern that appears repeatedly across the United States, particularly in the eastern regions where coal\u2011fired power plants and coal\u2011ash storage facilities are densely concentrated,” said Charlie Zhang<\/strong>, a professor in the Department of Geographic and Environmental Sciences <\/strong>and first author employed at the University of Louisville<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Although the study does not establish direct causation between coal ash exposure and cancer in individuals, the consistency and strength of the association raise serious public health concerns. Put simply: wherever coal ash is present, cancer rates tend to be higher \u2013 too frequently and too consistently to be dismissed.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regulation surrounding coal ash impoundments was minimal in the United States until 2008, when the\u00a0Kingston TVA Coal Ash Spill<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0released more than 1 billion gallons of coal ash slurry into the surrounding environment. It was the country’s largest industrial spill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first comprehensive federal rules governing coal ash were implemented in 2015, and new rules finalized in 2024 expanded oversight to include older legacy impoundments, which were previously exempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These regulations included requiring covers that would limit the release of fly ash, which can contain heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium and lead, and liners that reduce the amount of toxins leaching into groundwater and soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EPA in January extended the deadline for these safety measures to be implemented until 2031. This month, the EPA also proposed rolling back 2024 regulations<\/a> surrounding coal ash clean-up and storage standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until those safety measures are in place, communities living near coal ash impoundments should take preemptive measures to reduce their contact with coal dust, the researchers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“First, we would emphasize this is not about panic, but about informed caution,” Zhang said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the authors’ recommendations include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n