Burning coal can produce potentially harmful nanoparticles
The burning of coal produces tiny particles of potentially harmful titanium oxide, researchers have found.
When these nanoparticles are inhaled, they can enter the lungs and potentially the bloodstream too.
The titanium nanoparticles are as small as 100 millionths of a meter (393 millionths of an inch), and when introduced into the air, they can float from power plants and travel on air currents locally, regionally and globally.
In nations with strong environmental regulations, such as the US, most of the nanoparticles would be caught by particle traps.
Jelle Baars