Toxic Plumes from Data Centers Threaten Public Health Across the US

As of October 2025, a vast network of over 5,000 data centers across the United States has emerged as a significant public health concern. These energy-hungry facilities, which form the backbone of the country's artificial intelligence and cloud computing infrastructure, are pumping out dangerous pollutants that can cause serious health issues.

The primary culprit is the diesel generators used to maintain "uptime" during power failures at these data centers. These backup generators release clouds of fine-particle pollution that can spread across state lines, posing a threat to surrounding communities. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) estimate that this pollution is linked to 1,300 premature deaths annually in the US.

The environmental and health impacts of these data centers are often overlooked, according to Professor Francesca Dominici of Harvard University. As demand for AI and cloud computing continues to surge, the pollution from these facilities could soon rival emissions from entire industries, costing the US an estimated $20 billion each year through health problems and lost productivity.

The situation is particularly dire in regions with high concentrations of data centers, such as Northern Virginia's "Data Center Alley" and parts of West Virginia, where the facilities consume city-scale levels of power. Dominici warns that the direct health impacts are concentrated in these areas, where diesel emissions are significant, especially during periods of high demand when many centers switch on their generators simultaneously.