Finkelman R B, Belkin H E, Zheng B
U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop 956, Reston, VA 20192, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 Mar 30;96(7):3427-31. doi: 10.1073/pnas.96.7.3427.
Domestic coal combustion has had profound adverse effects on the health of millions of people worldwide. In China alone several hundred million people commonly burn raw coal in unvented stoves that permeate their homes with high levels of toxic metals and organic compounds. At least 3,000 people in Guizhou Province in southwest China are suffering from severe arsenic poisoning. The primary source of the arsenic appears to be consumption of chili peppers dried over fires fueled with high-arsenic coal. Coal samples in the region were found to contain up to 35,000 ppm arsenic. Chili peppers dried over high-arsenic coal fires adsorb 500 ppm arsenic on average. More than 10 million people in Guizhou Province and surrounding areas suffer from dental and skeletal fluorosis. The excess fluorine is caused by eating corn dried over burning briquettes made from high-fluorine coals and high-fluorine clay binders. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons formed during coal combustion are believed to cause or contribute to the high incidence of esophageal and lung cancers in parts of China. Domestic coal combustion also has caused selenium poisoning and possibly mercury poisoning. Better knowledge of coal quality parameters may help to reduce some of these health problems. For example, information on concentrations and distributions of potentially toxic elements in coal may help delineate areas of a coal deposit to be avoided. Information on the modes of occurrence of these elements and the textural relations of the minerals and macerals in coal may help predict the behavior of the potentially toxic components during coal combustion.
全球范围内，家庭燃煤已对数以百万计的人的健康产生了深远的不利影响。仅在中国，就有几亿人通常在没有通风设备的炉灶中燃烧原煤，致使家中充斥着高浓度的有毒金属和有机化合物。中国西南部的贵州省至少有3000人患有严重的砷中毒。砷的主要来源似乎是食用了用高砷煤生火烘干的辣椒。该地区的煤样被发现含砷量高达35000 ppm。用高砷煤火烘干的辣椒平均吸附500 ppm的砷。贵州省及周边地区有超过1000万人患有牙氟病和骨氟病。过量的氟是由于食用了用高氟煤和高氟粘土粘结剂制成的煤球烘干的玉米所致。煤燃烧过程中形成的多环芳烃被认为是中国部分地区食管癌和肺癌高发的成因或促成因素。家庭燃煤还导致了硒中毒，可能还有汞中毒。更好地了解煤的质量参数可能有助于减少其中一些健康问题。例如，关于煤中潜在有毒元素的浓度和分布信息，可能有助于划定应避开的煤田区域。关于这些元素的赋存方式以及煤中矿物和煤岩组分的结构关系的信息，可能有助于预测煤燃烧过程中潜在有毒成分的行为。
