A Critical Review of Environmental Exposure and Health Risks Around Gas-Fired Power Plants
Abstract
Gas-fired electricity generation can reduce several combustion emissions relative to coal, but its environmental advantages do not establish the absence of exposure or health risks in host communities. This critical narrative review examines 41 studies and synthesises evidence on particulate matter, potentially toxic metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons across air, soil, indoor dust, and edible plants, with particular attention to Rivers State, Nigeria. The review retains all 41 records in a thesis evidence matrix and supplements them with targeted publication checks and authoritative risk-assessment guidance. Evidence is differentiated by fuel type, environmental medium, study design, and the strength of source attribution. Gas-turbine measurements demonstrate fine and ultrafine particle emissions, while atmospheric modelling and epidemiological studies provide complementary evidence of potential community impacts. Soil and vegetable investigations identify additional exposure pathways, although contamination near a plant cannot automatically be attributed to that facility. Coal-based findings illuminate transport and exposure mechanisms but require qualification before application to gas-fired settings. Important limitations include seasonal sampling gaps, insufficient integration of indoor and outdoor measurements, uncertain source attribution, and limited linkage between environmental measurements and observed health outcomes. An integrated assessment approach is proposed for further studies, combining meteorologically informed sampling, suitable reference locations, chemical characterisation, occupation-specific exposure assessment, and explicit uncertainty analysis. Protection of host communities requires attention to cumulative exposure across workplaces and households alongside control of plant emissions.
Downloads
References
Abdel-Shafy, H. I., & Mansour, M. S. M. (2016). A review on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Source, environmental impact, effect on human health and remediation. Egyptian Journal of Petroleum, 25(1), 107–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpe.2015.03.011
Adesanmi, A. J., Adeniran, J. A., Fakinle, B. S., Jimoda, L. A., Yusuf, R. O., & Sonibare, J. A. (2016). Ground level concentration of some air pollutants from Nigeria thermal power plants. Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 38(16), 2426–2432. https://doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2015.1081996
Amster, E. D., Haim, M., Dubnov, J., & Broday, D. M. (2014). Contribution of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide exposure from power plant emissions on respiratory symptom and disease prevalence. Environmental Pollution, 186, 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.10.032
Aziman, E. S., Yahya, M.-S., Sulaiman, S. A., Redzuan, M. A., Sufyan, K. R., Ramli, R., Idris, M. I., Ismail, A. F., Mohd Shuhaimi, A. I., & Hidayatullah, R. (2025). Radiological hazards and environmental impact of natural radioactivity and heavy metals in by-product and topsoil around a Malaysian coal-fired thermal power plant. Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 57(11), Article 103770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2025.103770
Bhatnagar, M. K., & Bhatnagar, P. (2013). Air quality assessment of the surrounding area of a thermal power plant. Journal of Industrial Pollution Control, 29(1), 45–48. https://www.icontrolpollution.com/articles/air-quality-assessment-of-the-surrounding-area-of-a-thermal-power-plant.php?aid=45747
Brewer, E., Li, Y., Finken, B., Quartucy, G., Muzio, L., Baez, A., Garibay, M., & Jung, H. S. (2016). PM₂.₅ and ultrafine particulate matter emissions from natural gas-fired turbine for power generation. Atmospheric Environment, 131, 141–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.11.048
Buha-Marković, J. Z., Marinković, A. D., Nemoda, S. Đ., & Savić, J. Z. (2020). Distribution of PAHs in coal ashes from the thermal power plant and fluidized bed combustion system; estimation of environmental risk of ash disposal. Environmental Pollution, 266, Article 115282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115282
Chen, P. J., Room, S. A., Shih, Y. J., Tsai, C. Y., Hsu, Y. S., Pan, S. Y., Ting, Y. C., Chou, C. C. K., Chang, M. B., & Chi, K. H. (2026). Chemical fingerprints and source-resolved health risks of fine particulate matter at the vicinity of gas and coal-fired power plants. Atmospheric Pollution Research, 17(1), Article 102710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2025.102710
Chen, X., Yang, T., Wang, Z., Hao, Y., He, L., & Sun, H. (2020). Investigating the impacts of coal-fired power plants on ambient PM2.5 by a combination of a chemical transport model and receptor model. Science of the Total Environment, 727, Article 138407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138407
Ćujić, M., Dragović, S., Đorđević, M., Dragović, R., & Gajić, B. (2016). Environmental assessment of heavy metals around the largest coal fired power plant in Serbia. CATENA, 139, 44–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2015.12.001
de Gouw, J. A., Parrish, D. D., Frost, G. J., & Trainer, M. (2014). Reduced emissions of CO₂, NOx, and SO₂ from U.S. power plants owing to switch from coal to natural gas with combined cycle technology. Earth’s Future, 2(2), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013EF000196
Di Ciaula, A. (2012). Emergency visits and hospital admissions in aged people living close to a gas-fired power plant. European Journal of Internal Medicine, 23(2), e53–e58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejim.2011.09.013
Dumanoglu, Y., Gaga, E. O., Gungormus, E., Sofuoglu, S. C., & Odabasi, M. (2017). Spatial and seasonal variations, sources, air-soil exchange, and carcinogenic risk assessment for PAHs and PCBs in air and soil of Kutahya, Turkey, the province of thermal power plants. Science of the Total Environment, 580, 920–935. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.12.040
First Independent Power Limited. (n.d.). Power plants & operations. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://fipl-ng.com/power-plants
Fouladi Fard, R., Naddafi, K., Yunesian, M., Nabizadeh Nodehi, R., Dehghani, M. H., & Hassanvand, M. S. (2016). The assessment of health impacts and external costs of natural gas-fired power plant of Qom. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23(20), 20922–20936. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7258-0
Gao, M., Beig, G., Song, S., Zhang, H., Hu, J., Ying, Q., Liang, F., Liu, Y., Wang, H., Lu, X., Zhu, T., Carmichael, G. R., Nielsen, C. P., & McElroy, M. B. (2018). The impact of power generation emissions on ambient PM2.5 pollution and human health in China and India. Environment International, 121, 250–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.09.015
Guttikunda, S. K., & Jawahar, P. (2014). Atmospheric emissions and pollution from the coal-fired thermal power plants in India. Atmospheric Environment, 92, 449–460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.04.057
Huang, X., Hu, J., Qin, F., Quan, W., Cao, R., Fan, M., & Wu, X. (2017). Heavy metal pollution and ecological assessment around the Jinsha coal-fired power plant (China). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(12), Article 1589. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14121589
Igbokwe, J. O., Azubuike, J. O., Nwufo, O. C., Okafor, G., Ezurike, B. O., & Opara, U. V. (2016). Critical review and analysis of general pollutants associated with thermal power plants in Nigeria and control techniques. Research & Reviews: Journal of Engineering and Technology, 5(4), 1–4. https://www.rroij.com/peer-reviewed/critical-review-and-analysis-of-general-pollutants-associated-with-thermal-power-plants-in-nigeria-and-control-techniques-83801.html
Jumpponen, M., Rönkkömäki, H., Pasanen, P., & Laitinen, J. (2013). Occupational exposure to gases, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds in biomass-fired power plants. Chemosphere, 90(3), 1289–1293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.10.001
Kamgba, F. A., & Abong, A. A. (2024). Assessment of health risk exposure of pupils to classroom dust in some primary schools in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria. Science World Journal, 19(2), 418–425. https://doi.org/10.4314/swj.v19i2.18
Khillare, P. S., Jyethi, D. S., & Sarkar, S. (2012). Health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals via dietary intake of vegetables grown in the vicinity of thermal power plants. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 50(5), 1642–1652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2012.01.032
Kravchenko, E., Minkina, T., Mandzhieva, S., Bauer, T., Lacynnik, E., Wong, M. H., & Nazarenko, O. (2025). Ecological and health risk assessments of heavy metal contamination in soils surrounding a coal power plant. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 484, Article 136751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136751
Küçükaçıl Artun, G., Polat, N., Yay, O. D., Özden Üzmez, Ö., Arı, A., Tuna Tuygun, G., Elbir, T., Altuğ, H., Dumanoğlu, Y., Döğeroğlu, T., Dawood, A., Odabasi, M., & Gaga, E. O. (2017). An integrative approach for determination of air pollution and its health effects in a coal fired power plant area by passive sampling. Atmospheric Environment, 150, 331–345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2016.11.025
Kuo, P.-H., Tsuang, B.-J., Chen, C.-J., Hu, S.-W., Chiang, C.-J., Tsai, J.-L., Tang, M.-L., Chen, G.-J., & Ku, K.-C. (2014). Risk assessment of mortality for all-cause, ischemic heart disease, cardiopulmonary disease, and lung cancer due to the operation of the world's largest coal-fired power plant. Atmospheric Environment, 96, 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.07.024
Lin, J., Zou, X., Huang, F., & Yao, Y. (2021). Quantitative estimation of sea surface temperature increases resulting from the thermal discharge of coastal power plants in China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 164, Article 112020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112020
Logan, L. H., & Stillwell, A. S. (2018). Probabilistic assessment of aquatic species risk from thermoelectric power plant effluent: Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus. Applied Energy, 210, 434–450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.027
Luo, C., Pajala, G., Shakeri Yekta, S., Sarkar, S., Klump, J. V., Pujari, P., & Routh, J. (2024). Soil contamination caused by fly ash from coal-fired thermal power plants in India: Spatiotemporal distribution and elemental leaching potential. Applied Geochemistry, 170, Article 106080. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2024.106080
Mahlangeni, N., Kapwata, T., Webster, C., Howlett-Downing, C., & Wright, C. Y. (2025). Exposure to air pollution from coal-fired power plants and impacts on human health: A scoping review. Reviews on Environmental Health, 40(4), 834–855. https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2024-0173
Mandal, S., Bhattacharya, S., & Paul, S. (2022). Assessing the level of contamination of metals in surface soils at thermal power area: Evidence from developing country (India). Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, 4, 37–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enceco.2021.11.003
Minichilli, F., Gorini, F., Bustaffa, E., Cori, L., & Bianchi, F. (2019). Mortality and hospitalization associated to emissions of a coal power plant: A population-based cohort study. Science of the Total Environment, 694, Article 133757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133757
Moghtaderi, M., Hosseini Teshnizi, S., Moghtaderi, T., Ashraf, M. A., & Faraji, H. (2020). The safety of schools based on heavy metal concentrations in classrooms’ dust: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 49(12), 2287–2294. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v49i12.4809
Mokarram, M., Mokarram, M. J., & Najafi, A. (2023). Thermal power plants pollution assessment based on deep neural networks, remote sensing, and GIS: A real case study in Iran. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 192, Article 115069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115069
Mokhtar, M. M., Hassim, M. H., & Taib, R. M. (2014). Health risk assessment of emissions from a coal-fired power plant using AERMOD modelling. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 92(5), 476–485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2014.05.008
Onyegeme-Okerenta, B. M., Ezeji, M. M., & Akpoji, B. S. (2025). Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure to soil and vegetable near a gas-powered plant in Rivers State, Nigeria: Impact of industrially affected soil to public health. IPS Journal of Toxicology, 3(4), 76–99. https://doi.org/10.54117/dnw4pe60
Piersanti, A., Adani, M., Briganti, G., Cappelletti, A., Ciancarella, L., Cremona, G., D'Isidoro, M., Lombardi, C., Pacchierotti, F., Russo, F., Spanò, M., Uccelli, R., & Vitali, L. (2018). Air quality modeling and inhalation health risk assessment for a new generation coal-fired power plant in Central Italy. Science of the Total Environment, 644, 884–898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.393
Pope, C. A., III, & Dockery, D. W. (2006). Health effects of fine particulate air pollution: Lines that connect. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 56(6), 709–742. https://doi.org/10.1080/10473289.2006.10464485
Ranjan, A., Mandal, K. K., & Kumari, P. (2020). Impact of coal-fired thermal power plant on the drinking water quality of Anpara, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, India. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 11, Article 100395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2020.100395
Ribeiro, J., Ribeiro, M., Góis, L., Erbolato Filho, J., Misz-Kennan, M., & Fabiańska, M. (2025). The environmental legacy of industrial coal combustion: Tracing inorganic and organic contaminants in soils. International Journal of Coal Geology, 311, Article 104896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2025.104896
Rodríguez-Iruretagoiena, A., Fdez-Ortiz de Vallejuelo, S., Gredilla, A., Ramos, C. G., Oliveira, M. L. S., Arana, G., de Diego, A., Madariaga, J. M., & Silva, L. F. O. (2015). Fate of hazardous elements in agricultural soils surrounding a coal power plant complex from Santa Catarina (Brazil). Science of the Total Environment, 508, 374–382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.12.015
Sahu, S. K., Zhu, S., Guo, H., Chen, K., Liu, S., Xing, J., Kota, S. H., & Zhang, H. (2021). Contributions of power generation to air pollution and associated health risks in India: Current status and control scenarios. Journal of Cleaner Production, 288, Article 125587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125587
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Conducting a human health risk assessment. https://www.epa.gov/risk/conducting-human-health-risk-assessment
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2014). Framework for human health risk assessment to inform decision making (EPA/100/R-14/001). https://www.epa.gov/risk/framework-human-health-risk-assessment-inform-decision-making
Vig, N., Ravindra, K., & Mor, S. (2023). Environmental impacts of Indian coal thermal power plants and associated human health risk to the nearby residential communities: A potential review. Chemosphere, 341, Article 140103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140103
World Health Organization. (2021). WHO global air quality guidelines: Particulate matter (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240034228
Yadav, A. K. (2021). Human health risk assessment in opencast coal mines and coal-fired thermal power plants surrounding area due to inhalation. Environmental Challenges, 3, Article 100074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2021.100074
Yan, Y., Peng, L., Li, R., Li, Y., Li, L., & Bai, H. (2017). Concentration, ozone formation potential and source analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a thermal power station centralized area: A study in Shuozhou, China. Environmental Pollution, 223, 295–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.01.026
Zhou, Y., Levy, J. I., Hammitt, J. K., & Evans, J. S. (2003). Estimating population exposure to power plant emissions using CALPUFF: A case study in Beijing, China. Atmospheric Environment, 37(6), 815–826. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(02)00937-8
Author(s) and co-author(s) jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties, and that the Article has not been published elsewhere. Author(s) agree to the terms that the GPH Journal will have the full right to remove the published article on any misconduct found in the published article.
