EPA Decides That Coal Ash, Which Pervades Our Homes, Is Non-Hazardous

By Wendy Koch
National Geographic
Published December 19, 2014

From roof shingles to drywall to concrete countertops, products made with leftover waste from coal-fired power plants are in many U.S. homes.

About 45 percent of this dustlike material—known as coal ash—is recycled into products as elemental as pavement and foundations. Such reuse, up from 30 percent in 2000, is generally considered safe and welcomed by most everyone, from utilities seeking to lower disposal costs to environmentalists looking to lower carbon emissions.

But that's only half the story.

The other 55 percent of coal ash, which can contain toxic substances like arsenic, is often stored in ponds next to waterways. In December 2008, more than a billion gallons leaked into the Emory River and nearby land from the Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee.

So on Friday, facing a court-ordered deadline, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a long-awaited decision: Coal ash needs to be safely disposed of but is not a hazardous waste.

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