The closure in January 2016 of one of Pittsburgh's biggest coal-processing plants led to immediate and lasting declines in emissions of fossil fuel-related air pollutants. These in turn were linked to near-instant decreases in local heart-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases, a new study shows. The impact of the closure persisted through the last month for which data were analyzed.

Analyses of state health records showed that average weekly visits to the local emergency departments for heart-related problems decreased by 42% immediately after the shutdown.

Read more about how citizens lives in Pittsburgh PA. were improved when they removed the coal processing plant here

Similar downward trends were observed locally over the long term, with 33 fewer average yearly hospitalizations for heart disease from 2016 through 2018 compared to the three years preceding the plant closure.