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Coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel and a huge contributor to climate change, air pollution, and land disruption. It is a chemically complex, rock-like hydrocarbon that contains heavy metals (e.g., mercury and lead), sulfur, and radioactive material. Coal is mined from the Earth and burned to convert chemical energy to heat.

Mining, producing, and combusting coal all have significant impacts to human health and the environment. Additionally, underground coal mining has higher risk for miners than surface mining. While more widespread use of surface mining and machinery for underground mining have improved worker safety, some countries continue to use underground mining and rely on human labor.

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