Greenpeace activists supplied this shot of their morning mission to climb a coal-supply ramp and hoist a banner calling for Progress and Duke Energy to “stop destroying mountains.”
![](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/6869819909_31a6535ba7-480x320.jpg)
Greenpeace activists supplied this shot of their morning mission to climb a coal-supply ramp and hoist a banner calling for Progress and Duke Energy to “stop destroying mountains.”
An Aug. 15 Duke University study details just how toxic coal ash is: Samples taken from the Dec. 28, 2008, coal-ash spill near Kingston, Tenn., contain high levels of toxic metals and radioactive elements, including arsenic, mercury and radium. As the sludge dries, risk of exposure via inhalation increases dramatically, the Duke team found.