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In March 2013, HEAL launched the first ‘Unpaid Health Bill – How coal power plants make us sick’, highlighting that the health costs of coal-fired power stations add a financial burden to the European population of up to €42.8 billion a year.

The report includes testimonies from leading health advocates, medical experts and policy makers on why they are concerned about coal, as well as recommendations for policy-makers and the health community on how to address the unpaid health bill and ensure that it is taken into account in future energy decisions.

Full report – ENDEPLRO
Executive Summary – ENDEPLRO
Coal and health postcard – ENPL
Press release – ENFRESRODU – IT

HEAL continues to work closely with medical, health and climate advocacy groups, especially in countries where coal is a particular threat to health.

The Unpaid Health Bill has also been launched in

Western Balkans (2016)

The report provides an estimate of the total health damage from air pollution released from existing coal power plants in five Western Balkans for the European region, and for Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo. It also includes the estimated health costs of future coal plants in the Western Balkans.

Full technical report here (EnglishSerbian)

Press releases

EU factsheet of the Unpaid Health Bill here (EnglishSerbian)

Factsheet Serbia EnglishSerbian

Factsheet Bosnia EnglishBosnian

Factsheet Macedonia EnglishMacedonian

Factsheet Montenegro EnglishMontenegrin

Factsheet Kosovo EnglishAlbanian

Turkey (2015)

The report provides the first-ever figures on the costs to public health from existing coal power plants in Turkey, revealing that the total costs are up to 3.6 billion EUR per year (10.72 billion Turkish Lira) covering costs of premature death, chronic lung disease and heart conditions associated with exposure to polluted air from coal plants.

The report is endorsed by six leading medical and health associations in Turkey, including the Turkish Medical Association, Doctors for the Environment Turkey, Turkish Occupational Medicine Society, Turkish Respiratory Society, Turkish Society of Public Health Specialists, and Turkish Thoracic Society.

Download the full report here – EnglishTurkish

Download the Executive Summary here – EnglishTurkish

Romania (2013)

HEAL and Bankwatch Romanian launched the Romanian version of the Unpaid Health Bill. Out of 10,000 industrial facilities in Europe, coal power plants are the top 20 most damaging to health and environment. Among these 20, Romania has five including power plants in Turceni (second place), Drobeta Turnu-Severin, Craiova-Isalnita and Mintia-Deva.

Altogether, coal power plants in Poland, Romania and Germany are responsible for more than half of the health impacts. Romania takes second place for the top coal power plants pollution, alongside Germany. Pollution impacts in Romania stand at 2,731 premature deaths, approximately 1,284 new cases of chronic bronchitis and over 619,660 lost working days each year. The health impacts of coal power plants in Romania are estimated at up to EUR 6.4 billion per year.

Full report here

Poland (2013)

3 czerwca 2013 roku opublikowana została polska wersja nowego raportu Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL). Raport prezentuje dowody naukowe na temat wpływu skażenia powietrza na zdrowie, i udziału w nim emisji pochodzących z elektrowni węglowych. Zawiera także pierwszą ekonomiczną ocenę kosztów zdrowotnych związanych z zanieczyszczeniem powietrza przez elektrownie węglowe w Europie oraz wyjaśnienia autorytetów w dziedzinie ochrony zdrowia, ekspertów sektora medycznego i decydentów dotyczące ich obaw związanych z wpływem węgla.

Raport przedstawia też rekomendacje dla władz i sektora zdrowia na temat sposobów zaradzenia problemowi “niezapłaconego rachunku za zdrowie” oraz uwzględnienia go w przyszłych decyzjach dotyczących energetyki.

Polska pełna wersja raportu do pobrania tutaj

Germany (2013)

Ein neuer Bericht der Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) wurde am 24. April 2013 auch in deutscher Sprache veröffentlicht – er gibt einen Überblick über die wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse zu Gesundheitsschäden durch Luftverschmutzung und zum Beitrag von Kohlekraftwerken. Darüber hinaus beinhaltet der Bericht die erstmalige Berechnung der gesundheitlichen Kosten, die infolge der Luftverschmutzung durch Kohlekraftwerke in Europa entstehen, sowie Stellungnahmen von führenden Gesundheitsexperten, medizinischen Fachleuten und Politikern zu ihren Bedenken im Hinblick auf Kohlestrom.

Der Bericht leitet daraus Empfehlungen an die Politik sowie an Gesundheitsfachleute ab, wie die durch Kohlestrom verursachten externen Kosten reduziert werden können und wie die wirklichen Kosten von Kohlestrom bei energiepolitischen Entscheidungen berücksichtigt werden sollten.

Vollständiger Berichts hier
Zusammenfassung hier

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