Coal mining is a well-known contributor of pollutants to particulate matter in the air. A new study has discovered a new byproduct of burning coal, titania suboxide, which has the potential to be toxic to humans. The research team analyzed ash samples from 12 coal-burning power plants in the US and China, and found large quantities of this pollutant in all samples. Titania suboxide particles are generated from the burning of titanium oxide minerals, which are naturally present in coal. These particles were found to be toxic to zebrafish under certain conditions; however, more testing is needed to find out titania suboxide’s effect on humans.
Authors:
Yi Yang, Bo Chen, James Hower, Michael Schindler, Christopher Winkler, Jessica Brandt, Richard Di Giulio, Jianping Ge, Min Liu, Yuhao Fu, Lijun Zhang, Yuru Chen, Shashank Priya & Michael F. Hochella Jr.
Canadian author:
Michael Schindler, Department of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Email: mschindler@laurentian.ca
Original paper published in Nature Communications on August 8, 2017.
