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Local physician warns supervisors about respiratory risks near proposed plant
Summary
Dr. Ross Bridal, a resident physician, told the board he found studies linking proximity to fuel‑fired plants with higher respiratory hospitalizations and cited local prevalence figures for asthma and COPD in Scott County.
Dr. Ross Bridal, a resident physician practicing in the Quad Cities, told the board he researched literature on health impacts of nearby fuel‑fired plants and urged supervisors to prioritize community health when considering zoning changes. "Scott County already has significant rates of asthma ... 10.5 percent of all citizens in our county," Bridal said, and added that COPD affects roughly "3.3 percent" of residents, quantities he translated into local population estimates.
Bridal acknowledged the need for reliable electricity in an era of growing demand but said communities deserve generation that minimizes particulate pollution. His remarks followed CIPCO and technical presentations; he and others asked the board to require local dispersion modeling and to consider cumulative health impacts as part of land‑use decisions.
