One of the difficult things about navigating our industry is disseminating accurate information pertaining to Coal Ash. 

Coal Ash is often described as dangerous for the environment and even toxic. Dr Lisa Bradley addressed that very issue in an article posted on Duke Energy's website. Dr. Bradley is the Principal Toxicologist at Haley & Aldrich in the U.S. who received her Ph.D from MIT in Boston.

"I’m a toxicologist who has spent my career studying coal ash, how it moves in the environment and how it may impact human health. What intrigued me about this field was how ash was consistently portrayed in the media as “toxic coal ash,” as if the ash were inherently harmful. It’s not".

"Here’s what you need to know about toxicity: Anything can be toxic. A bottle of aspirin, if you ingest 200 pills rather than the recommended two, can kill you. The fundamental science behind toxicity is that it’s the dose – the amount of exposure – that differentiates a poison from a remedy". - Dr. Bradley

Dr. Bradley emphasises that there is always room for new research in the world of Coal Ash. Outlining that important research is being done in Lake Norman, U.S.A. University scientists, health departments, and local and state leaders are actively trying to better understand increasing rates of thyroid cancer. 

Here’s what decades of existing research tell us about Coal Ash:

• Coal ash does not cause thyroid cancer.
• Coal ash is not hazardous.

Dr Bradley went on to say that in order to get to the root of local health issues, we must move past reductionist labels about “toxic ash,” “radioactive soil” or “carcinogenic elements” that lack context on who is being exposed and how. 

Read the original article here: Duke Energy.