Coal, why we should not burn it.

It contains lead and mercury.

Burning coal. Image — Wikimedia Commons.

Air pollution results from burning coal, releasing lead and mercury particulate matter into the atmosphere, and other metals, arsenic, chromium, cobalt, cadmium and selenium. Arsenic, chromium and selenium are needed by our bodies in trace amounts only, but cadmium, lead and mercury are toxic at any amount (Imin, et al., 2020; Dunnivant, 2017).