NBC News and ‘Today’ feature VCU’s Stephen Fong in report on data centers and public health
VCU researcher Stephen Fong warned that diesel backup generators at data centers near Discovery Elementary School in Loudoun County could contribute significantly to air pollution and pose potential health concerns. Fong and a VCU research team received a grant to measure air quality and study the environmental and community impacts of data centers in Virginia.
Virginia Commonwealth University environmental researcher Stephen S. Fong told NBC News and "Today" correspondent Stephanie Gosk that diesel backup generators at data centers near Discovery Elementary School in Loudoun County may create air-pollution risks for students and nearby residents. The school is within a half-mile of 11 data centers, which together have as many as 264 backup generators.
Fong said a single generator operating at full capacity can emit more pollution than 100 18-wheelers and urged continuous air-quality monitoring near the school. His VCU research team, including Damian Pitt and other university researchers, received a Breakthroughs grant to model and measure data-center environmental impacts and conduct community research, including air-quality testing around data centers in the Richmond region.