Abstract:
INTRODUCTION: Coal-fired power plants are major sources of
air pollution which impact human health. Coal combustion
byproducts released into the air include particulate matter,
nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide. Exposure to fine
particulate matter is associated with increased risk of
mortality. This scoping review will examine and summarise
the current literature on the health risks of exposure to air
pollution in areas in which coal-fired power plants exist.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This scoping review will be
conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute
methodological framework and reported in accordance
with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic
Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping
Reviews guidelines. Five electronic databases (PubMed,
ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science and Google
Scholar) will be searched for relevant articles. Studies
will be included up until 31 January 2024. There will be
no restriction on geographical area. The searches will
be limited to studies published in English. Title, abstract,
full-text screening and data extraction of relevant articles
will be done by two independent reviewers. Discrepancies
will be resolved by group discussion. The findings will be
presented in tables with a narrative summary. This review
will consider epidemiological studies and grey literature
that report on the health risks of exposure to air pollution
in areas where coal-fired power plants exist.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: All data will be collected from
published and grey literature. Ethics approval is therefore
not required. We will submit our findings for publication in
a peer-reviewed journal.
Description:
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and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise
