The Effect of Coal-Fired Power Plant Closures on Emergency Department Visits for Asthma-Related Conditions Among 0- to 4-Year-Old Children in Chicago, 2009-2017

Am J Public Health. 2021 May;111(5):881-889. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306155. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Abstract

Objectives. To investigate the effects of coal-fired power plant closures on zip code-level rates of emergency department visits for asthma-related conditions among 0- to 4-year-old children in Chicago, Illinois.Methods. We used data on wind, population, PM2.5 (particulates measuring ≤ 2.5 µm in diameter), and zip code-level rates of emergency department visits for asthma-related conditions among 0- to 4-year-old children between 2009 and 2017 in Chicago. The difference-in-differences research design compared rates of emergency department visits in zip codes near 3 coal-fired power plants before and after their closures to rates in zip codes farther away during the same time period.Results. We found that emergency department visits for asthma-related conditions among 0- to 4-year-old children decreased by 12% in zip codes near the 3 coal-fired power plants following their closures relative to rates in zip codes farther away during the same period. The crude and age-specific rates of emergency department visits decreased by 2.41 visits per ten thousand inhabitants and 35.63 visits per ten thousand children aged 0 to 4 years, respectively.Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate that closing coal-fired power plants can lead to improvements in the respiratory health of young children.

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants / analysis
  • Air Pollution / analysis
  • Asthma / epidemiology*
  • Chicago / epidemiology
  • Child, Preschool
  • Coal*
  • Emergency Service, Hospital / statistics & numerical data*
  • Environmental Exposure / analysis
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Particulate Matter / analysis*
  • Power Plants / statistics & numerical data*
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Spatial Analysis
  • Weather

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Coal
  • Particulate Matter