Toxic Plumes from Data Centers Threaten Public Health Nationwide

As of October 2025, a rapidly expanding network of at least 5,000 data centers across the United States has emerged as a significant public health concern, according to scientists. These energy-intensive facilities, which form the backbone of the nation's artificial intelligence and cloud computing infrastructure, are releasing dangerous pollutants that can lead to serious health issues such as asthma, cancer, and even premature death.

The primary culprit behind this growing threat is the widespread use of diesel-powered backup generators, which are employed to maintain "uptime" during power failures. These generators release clouds of fine-particle pollution that can drift across state lines, affecting communities far beyond the immediate vicinity of the data centers. Researchers estimate that the resulting emissions could cost the US $20 billion each year through increased healthcare costs and lost productivity.

Experts warn that the environmental and health impacts of these data centers have been largely overlooked, even as the demand for AI and cloud computing continues to surge. A single large language model can consume the equivalent energy of 10,000 car trips from Los Angeles to New York City, while individual facilities can match the power usage of small cities. This energy-intensive nature is fueling a concerning trend, with the data center industry's public health impact potentially doubling that of the steel industry and rivaling all vehicles in California by 2030.