Community perceptions and mental burden among (former) residents at Europe's largest lignite mine in Western Germany: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: During the many years that coal has been used for energy production, most studies have focused on the global environmental impacts such as climate change or, when addressing health, rather on conditions of open pit coal miners. This study aims to assess the mental health impacts of lignite (brown coal) mining on communities living in proximity to an open pit mine, including resettlers. A questionnaire-based survey was used with items including socioeconomic effects of open pit mining and resettlement, environmental burden, attitudes, as well as scales for depressive and somatic symptoms. Data included n = 100 respondents from resettled villages and n = 235 participants from pit edge villages nearby Europe's largest open pit mine Hambach in Western Germany. Both groups reported up to twice

SUBMITTER: Holtermann E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11909167 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature