New research from Duke shows that 3 major coal-producing industries in the U.S. contain radioactive, harmful contaminants in the polluting smoke. The radioactivity in the ash is said to be 5 times greater than that of normal soil, and shockingly 10 times greater than that of actual coal. Avner Vengosh says that the only contaminants usually found in the coal ash were normally arsenic and selenium, but that now they have to be on the look out for radioactive elements like isotopes of radium and lead-210. Both of these are found naturally in coal, but upon being burned, the radium and lead-210 become more concentrated and reattach to their old, airborne ash particles, making the ash in the air suddenly radioactive. However, due to the ongoing problem of neglecting to monitor the landfills these ashes are stored in, no one, not even these researchers, know just how much of an impact these pollutants have on our environment and the overall health of the our population. These scientists have developed a way to predict how much radioactivity the coal and ash will emit by taking samples of the parent coal's uranium levels, which fortunately can be applied to all basins that potentially express this problem. Consistency of the isotope ratios between the coal and coal ash are unique to each basin, but can determine whether or not the problem is in the ash, or from another factor that reacts with the ash. Its clear that steps have been taken to help resolve this problem, and that the health of the public near these basins and plants are being watched over with a careful eye.
https://nicholas.duke.edu/news/radioactive-contaminants-found-coal-ash
https://nicholas.duke.edu/news/radioactive-contaminants-found-coal-ash