Chicago Air Quality Concerns Linked to Coal Power Plant Emissions

In 1998, Kimberly Wasserman began investigating air quality issues after her son suffered an asthma attack in Chicago’s Little Village neighbourhood. She lived near the Crawford Generating Station and the Fisk Street Generating Station, both coal-fired power plants. A Harvard study later estimated that emissions from these two plants were associated with over 40 premature deaths, 550 emergency-room visits, and 2,800 asthma attacks annually.

The concerns raised by Kimberly Wasserman and the Little Village Environmental Justice Organisation relate to the health and environmental costs associated with industrial energy production. The documented health impacts could drive regulatory changes and influence energy sector investment in Chicago.

Little Village is a community within Chicago.