2 --- Public Health

At every stage of the CCS process — from capture to transport to storage — deadly risks abound, according to hundreds of scientists.

CCS equipment to capture CO2 from the smokestack of a power plant requires energy to operate. To produce this energy, the power plant must burn 10% to 40% more fuel than a similar plant without CCS. (Scientists call this the “energy penalty” for using CCS.) Depending on the specific power plant, burning this additional fuel can release even more deadly toxic pollution — sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), arsenic, mercury, cadmium, lead, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and ultra-fine particles (PM2.5). These toxicants are associated with many different illnesses, including heart attacks, cancer, asthma, low birth weight, birth defects, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and brain damage in children. As epidemiologist and toxicologist Devra Davis and others have said, “Reductions in burning of fossil fuels can yield powerful, immediate benefits to public health by reducing the adverse effects of local air pollution.” Some toxicants emitted by fossil fuel used for CCS processes, such as benzene, ethylbenzene, and n-hexane, are listed as reproductive or developmental toxicants and carcinogens under Prop 65 and thus are recognized as such by the State of California.

During the CCS process, CO2 is pressurized and turned into liquid for transport. These pipelines are placed near fossil fuel industrial sites. The pressurized pipelines used to transport CO2 during the CCS process may leak or rupture, causing a dangerous accident that asphyxiates nearby residents. Recent studies show that CO2 could permanently contaminate underground aquifers, poisoning precious drinking water for millions of people. In the event of a technological failure or earthquake, CO2 would immediately be released back to the atmosphere.

The existing fossil fuel infrastructure that would host future CCS technology is disproportionately placed in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, increasing their risk of exposure to harmful chemicals and pollution from natural gas turbine-powered CCS equipment. Increased emissions of hazardous air pollutants coming from power plants including NOx, Particulates (PM2.5), Ozone, which lead to decreased lung function, asthma onset, asthma exacerbation, increased response to allergens, CV disease, bronchitis, cognitive decline, dementia, preterm birth, birth defects and more.