A study suggests the benefits from cleaner air could be even greater than previous data had indicated.
Researchers investigated the closure of a coal processing plant in 2016. Located on Neville Island in the Ohio River, near Pittsburgh in the US, the site had been used to produce coal-coke for steelmaking for about 100 years. Closure of the plant resulted in an immediate reduction in air pollution for the local communities. Sulphur dioxide decreased by 90%, arsenic by 66% and particle pollution also improved.