These kinds of health problems can often seem both mysterious in origin and inescapable for the people who live with them. However, the January 2016 closure of the Shenango Coke Works coal-processing plant provided an astonishing example of how quickly those same communities can recover from the most dire impacts of pollution. After the closure, Taranto said, ACCAN encouraged the Allegheny County health department to pull together some retrospective health studies. “What we were hearing from county officials was that they didn’t think the closure would be a boon to county health,” Taranto said. Mehalik is excited about a potential transition to less coal-reliant forms of steelmaking as a long-term solution for Allegheny County.

Source: Daily Nation August 12, 2023 11:19 UTC