A recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has revealed that Bitcoin mining significantly contributes to air pollution in the United States, impacting millions of Americans’ health. The research, published in Nature Communications on March 26, highlights the harmful effects of the cryptocurrency industry’s demand for electricity on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels.
The study was led by Francesca Dominici, Clarence James Gamble Professor of Biostatistics, Population, and Data Science at Harvard, with contributions from Gianluca Guidi, Falco Bargagli Stoffi, and Scott Delaney, experts in biostatistics and environmental health.
While previous studies have focused on the large greenhouse gas emissions from Bitcoin mining, little has been known about its effect on PM2.5, which is associated with an increased risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and dementia. To explore this, the researchers analyzed the 34 largest Bitcoin mining operations in the U.S. and tracked their electricity consumption, power sources, and subsequent air pollution levels.
Between August 2022 and July 2023, these 34 mining operations used 33% more electricity than the entire city of Los Angeles. The vast majority of this electricity was generated from fossil fuels. As a result, researchers estimated that 1.9 million Americans were exposed to increased PM2.5 levels, particularly in areas like New York City, Houston/Austin, northeast Texas, and parts of Illinois and Kentucky.
The study also found that Bitcoin mines often rely on power from out-of-state plants, causing pollution to affect areas far from the mining sites. For example, a mine in North Carolina could lead to higher PM2.5 levels in Illinois due to pollution from a Kentucky power plant.
The researchers pointed out the need for federal regulation to address this issue, as states cannot regulate each other’s activities. Scott Delaney, one of the study’s authors, suggested in an article for Decrypt that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could enforce stricter emission limits on states that supply power to Bitcoin mines. Additionally, he proposed that programs encouraging responsible Bitcoin mine siting could reduce the negative health impacts.
This study sheds light on the environmental burden of the booming Bitcoin industry, emphasizing the importance of regulations to protect public health.
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