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When coal is burned, toxins in the coal are released into the smokestack. With modern air pollution controls, airborne toxins are captured through filtration systems before they can become airborne, and contained in a fine ash called [[coal ash]], [[fly ash]], or [[coal waste]]. As a result, heavy metals such as mercury are concentrated in what the EPA considers "recycled air pollution control residue."<ref name="union">[http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=733185&category=REGION&TextPage=1 "Fly ash: Culprit at Lafarge? Residue of coal-burning is being examined as possible source of mercury pollution,"] ''Times Union,'' October 26, 2008.</ref>
SW: →Coal Plants: - sectioning
===Mercury===
[[Image:Mercury map.jpg|thumb|right]]
Emissions from coal-fired power plants are the largest source of [[mercury and coal|mercury]] in the United States, accounting for about 41 percent (48 tons in 1999) of industrial releases.<ref>[http://www.nescaum.org/documents/rpt031104mercury.pdf/ “Mercury Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants: The Case for Regulatory Action,”] Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, October 2003.</ref> According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eight percent of American women of childbearing age had unsafe levels of mercury in their blood, putting approximately 322,000 newborns at risk of neurological deficits. Mercury exposure also can lead to increase cardiovascular risk in adults.<ref>[http://www.nescaum.org/documents/rpt031104mercury.pdf/ “Mercury Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants: The Case for Regulatory Action,”] Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, October 2003.</ref> When mercury is deposited on land or in water, microorganisms convert part of it to a highly toxic form called methylmercury. When fish and animals eat these microorganisms, the toxins accumulate and can interfere with reproduction, growth, and behavior, and can even cause death.<ref>[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008184822.htm "'Fingerprinting' Method Tracks Mercury Emissions From Coal,"] ''ScienceDaily,'' October 9, 2008.</ref>
