During the summer of 2024, many media outlets reported the “nightmare” impacts Texas communities were experiencing due to noise from the city. from nearby cryptocurrency mines.

Residents of these settlements reported that the incessant noise caused them various ailments such as high blood pressure, chest pain and tinnitus. It is claimed that the noise level of cryptocurrency mines reaches 72 decibels; This is well above the 55 dB limit that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers increasingly dangerous to public health.

These latest reports have fueled ongoing reports discussions About the potential health hazards of cryptocurrency mining. In a study published Sept. 26 in the journal JAMA, three scientists say we are experiencing a “digital oil boom” that could have serious health consequences for everyone, not just communities living near mines. This problem goes beyond noise pollution to include health risks associated with increased energy consumption and accelerating climate change.

Energy intensive minerals

Cryptocurrency, a virtual currency using blockchain, uses a computer network to report transactions between users documented in a digital ledger. The network is decentralized, meaning that, unlike a traditional central bank, it is not controlled or owned by any individual or group. This structure allows users to transfer money faster, cheaper and with less paper consumption compared to traditional banking.

Cryptocurrency has experienced many bubbles and crashes since its inception; but it is still popular around the world and the cryptocurrency market has now turned into a multi-billion dollar industry.

The first and probably most popular type of cryptocurrency is Bitcoin, which was invented in 2009. Bitcoin relies on a “proof of work” algorithm, a calculation that actually verifies the authenticity of transactions added to the digital ledger. The process of performing these calculations is very energy intensive and becomes exponentially more complex over time.

As a result, Bitcoin data centers, called “features,” require more and more energy to operate over time. In the US alone, cryptocurrency mining accounts for approximately 0.6% to 2.3% of all electricity consumption in the country.

Energy-intensive industry could increase communities’ dependence on peaking power plants, meaning power plants only operate during times of peak demand, Mary Willis, co-author of the JAMA paper and an assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University, told Live. Science.

The problem is that these stations run on fossil fuels. In terms of their direct effects, these fumes partly contain air pollutants that can cause diseases such as stroke, heart disease and lung cancer. Historically disadvantaged racial or ethnic communities will suffer the most from these health effects, as factories are often located where these communities live.

Increasing demand for fossil fuels exacerbates climate change by increasing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, as well as harmful air pollutants. “Encryption primarily uses fossil fuel electricity from coal- and natural gas-fired power plants,” Benjamin Jones, an economics professor at the University of New Mexico who was not involved in the JAMA article, told LiveScience in an email. he said.

“This creates emissions of CO2 and other air pollutants that contribute to climate change and harm human health,” he said. Such harmful effects include promoting the spread of infectious diseases and the number of deaths associated with extreme weather events such as heat and heat. strong storms.

Blackout and noise pollution

Another concern is that many cryptocurrency mines are located in places with sensitive power grids, such as Texas, Willis said. The winter storm of February 2021 caused the state’s power grid to fail and exposed its unreliability.

According to Willis, crypto mining can create an additional load on the network and increase the risk of outages. There may be power outages many health consequencesincluding the increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from generators; diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, because refrigerators stop working; and deaths in hospitals due to disconnection of medical equipment.

In addition to these energy risks, cryptocurrency mining can be really noisy. Willis told Live Science that many communities are very concerned about this issue. Exposure to high levels of noise has been linked to sleep disorders, increased blood pressure and heart disease, among other health problems. Excessive noise is also linked to inflammation in the brain, which can cause additional effects on the circulatory system.

Currently, most of these health effects are theoretical. Beyond anecdotal reports from places like Texas, there isn’t a lot of reliable data on the health effects of these mines, Willis said. First, he said, there is currently no systematic way to track where mines are located.

In February 2024, the US Energy Information Administration launched a system to track energy consumption from cryptocurrency mining. At that time, the agency announced that it had found 137 mines in 21 states of the USA, mostly in Texas, Georgia and New York.

But that data collection was halted a month later, following a federal lawsuit launched by the crypto industry, the JAMA authors write. In this case, it was successfully argued that government control would cause “irreparable harm” to the industry. Willis and his co-authors argued that without data on the location and energy use of crypto miners, it is impossible to fully understand the health effects of cryptocurrency mining.

The trio is now trying to figure out the best way to find these mines. Only then can these predictions about the health effects of mines be verified, they say.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice.