You’ve read the headlines about how Bitcoin could transform the financial system, perhaps you’ve even thought about making an investment. What if I told you that this digital gold rush is coming at a cost, a cost that you're already paying in ways you probably haven't even considered? What if the future of finance is propping up a future that makes your children unable to breathe.

Asthma In Kentucky, Bitcoin In Texas?

Think about this: a family in rural Kentucky, struggling with asthma. The parents juggle doctor's appointments and medication costs, their child's wheezing a constant worry. What if I told you that some of that child’s pain is a result of a Bitcoin mine? It might be a facility that’s hundreds of miles away—that’s in Texas or Montana.

Bitcoin mining—the process of confirming transactions and adding new blocks to the blockchain—takes up as much electricity as the entire country of Bangladesh. And much of that power—which, again, here in the U.S. is 60% of our grid—comes from burning dirty fuels like coal. The dirty stuff, coal, natural gas – the same stuff that blows out toxic pollution and tears apart our lungs.

You can’t keep that pollution bottled up at the power plant. It travels. More specifically, it takes the form of PM2.5, microscopic particulate matter that can burrow deep into your lungs and enter your bloodstream. This isn’t a vague environmental issue, it’s a clear and present danger to your health. As the Bitcoin bros toast their fortunes, families can’t even afford to breathe easier.

Let's be clear: PM2.5 isn't just a minor irritant. It's linked to a whole host of serious health problems: respiratory illnesses, heart disease, even premature death. Recent peer-reviewed research uncovers a staggering and scary fact—1.9 million Americans have experienced elevated exposure to PM2.5 pollution from Bitcoin mining. This further underscores the monumental environmental footprint of crypto activities. One point nine million. We’re talking about more than a rounding error; that’s an alarming public health crisis brewing in full view.

Air You Breathe, Value You Lose?

Now, I am not suggesting that Bitcoin is the cause of every case of respiratory disease. It’s literally pouring gasoline on the fire. It’s making those problems worse and placing even more vulnerable populations at risk.

Take the seniors with underlying cardiac disease, or the kids with asthma. These are the communities who bear the disproportionate burden of this pollution. And they’re frequently the same people who can least afford the high cost of care they require.

This isn’t only an environmental issue, it is in fact, an environmental justice issue. It’s not about stopping progress, it’s about who pays the price for progress, and if so, whether that price is being shared equitably. Well I know the answer to that question, and I bet you do too.

Bitcoin mining isn’t only polluting the air we breathe, it’s straining our energy grids. With so much more of their electricity consumption on the line, it places new burdens on the system that might need expensive infrastructure upgrades. And guess who has to pay for those upgrades—in advance, no less! You do.

Higher Bills, Fouler Air, Less Voice?

Higher energy bills. Fouler air. And are you sitting at the table with a real voice in their decision-making process? Probably not.

We need hold our local representatives’ feet to the fire and demand this kind of transparency. We need to ask them: What are the potential impacts of Bitcoin mining on our community? What are you doing to keep our health and environment safe.

Don’t wait around for others to find a solution. Support local environmental groups. Support local renewable energy projects in your area. Call on Bitcoin miners to use more sustainable energy practices.

Some miners are proactively making the transition, as demonstrated by some facilities voluntarily migrating from coal to wind and hydropower facilities. But it's not enough. We can’t lose our focus now. United as advocates, regulators, and the public, we can ensure that our future of financial innovation supports, rather than sabotages, our health and prosperity.

So the next time someone tells you how wonderful everything is going to be because of Bitcoin, take a step back. Imagine the family in Kentucky that can’t breathe. Think of the 1.9 million Americans who are now being exposed to additional pollution. Remember your health.

This isn't about being anti-Bitcoin. It's about being pro-human. It's about demanding a future where progress doesn't come at the cost of our lungs. It’s about keeping our loved ones and our neighborhoods safe. And it begins with making the Bitcoin industry accountable for its dirtiest secret.

This isn't about being anti-Bitcoin. It's about being pro-human. It's about demanding a future where progress doesn't come at the cost of our lungs. It's about protecting our families and our communities. And it starts with holding the Bitcoin industry accountable for its dirty secret.