Pollution from coal-based steel production has been causing hundreds of premature deaths each year, with people in the Great Lakes region bearing much of the burden, according to a recent report.
In October, the nonprofit research group Industrious Labs reported about 17 coal-based steel plants and coke facilities operating in the United States, causing health and environmental problems in surrounding communities.
An estimated 892 premature deaths, 250,500 cases of asthma symptoms, and $13.2 billion in health costs every year are associated with pollution from just 17 facilities in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, and Virginia.
“Steel communities have been sounding the alarm on harmful air pollution for years, and this report quantifies just how devastating and far-reaching the consequences are,” said Hilary Lewis, Steel Director at Industrious Labs.
Carolyn McCrady, a member of Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, a local environmental advocacy group, said that she hopes that Nippon Steel, which agreed in 2023 to purchase U.S. Steel, will be more open to joining the industry’s transition to “green” steelmaking, irrespective of President-elect Donald Trump threatening to block the Japanese company’s acquisition of U.S. Steel.
One of the biggest changes in the industry is the reduced use of coke-burning blast furnaces, Lewis said. Reports stated that some facilities are switching to direct reduced iron technology, operating at lower temperatures, and could run on natural gas or hydrogen, which can be produced with renewable energy sources.