Magnetite fine particle and nanoparticle environmental contamination from industrial uses of coal

Highlights: • Burning coal results in the formation of magnetite fine particles and nanoparticles. • These magnetic particles are completely unbound from the coal fly ash. • These magnetite particles are spherical in nature, just as those associated to extensive cellular damage in human brains. • Their size ( Recently it has been shown that there are two types of magnetite particles in the human brain, some, which occur naturally and are jagged in appearance, and others that arise from industrial sources, such as coal fired power plants, and are spherical. In order to confirm the latter, the magnetic component of coal ash is first purified and characterized by XRD, showing that it is magnetite with an average particle size of 211 nm. Studies confirm the coal ash magnetic behavior, and that the magnetite is not bound to the other components of coal ash but exist as an isolatable component. SEM studies confirm that in the process of burning coal at very high temperatures for industrial uses, the magnetite formed is spherically shaped, as recent studies of brain tissues of highly exposed urban residents have found. As such, the use of coal for industrial applications such as coking in the production of steel and in power plants is indicated to be a major source of the spherical magnetic combustion-associated magnetite fine particle and nanoparticle environmental pollution. The capacity of these magnetic particles to penetrate and damage the blood-brain-barrier and the early development of Alzheimer's disease hallmarks in exposed populations calls for detail analysis of magnetic fine and nanoparticle distribution across the world. Summation: Industrial coal usage produces spherical magnetic particles and nanoparticles, identical to those associated with neurological disorders.