{"id":16391,"date":"2026-10-29T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/?p=16391"},"modified":"2026-10-29T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T09:00:00","slug":"data-center-health-worries-animate-midterm-campaigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/?p=16391","title":{"rendered":"Data Center Health Worries Animate Midterm Campaigns"},"content":{"rendered":"

PAGE, Ariz. \u2014 Doug Herrera still lives in the house his father built, though his dad died some time ago from cancer. Herrera wonders if that illness could have been linked to pollutants from nearby uranium mining. Now, he worries that a possible new neighbor \u2014 a proposed $10 billion mega data center<\/a> \u2014 could imperil his health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a patriot, but I\u2019m highly against the data center,\u201d Herrera, 64, said from his front porch near a yard sign that reads \u201cNo Data Centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is light pollution, sound pollution. The temperature is going to rise,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Page is a gateway<\/a> to iconic Southwestern landscapes of arid desert studded with Joshua trees and towering red-rock formations. While the City Council approved the sale of land for a data center, the developer needs zoning and other approvals. Residents concerned about possible health effects have signed petitions and mobilized to oppose construction.<\/p>\n

The boom in data centers is dividing communities such as Page and turning future construction into a flash point in the midterm elections. The leading candidates in the close race for Arizona\u2019s 1st Congressional District are at odds over any new centers there, and the state\u2019s attorney general has called for a pause on new approvals and building.<\/p>\n

Emerging research into data centers\u2019 possible health effects is adding grist to the various state fights, giving ammunition to Democrats and some Republicans who\u2019ve broken party ranks to oppose the sprawling complexes.<\/p>\n

It has also put some incumbent politicians who have supported data center expansion in unexpectedly vulnerable positions in reliably red states like Ohio and Texas, where the megabuildings now operate<\/a> by the hundreds.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo years ago, a lot of these data centers went up and there was not an organized, watchful opposition,\u201d said Lee Hannah, a political science professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat opposition has come up in a grassroots way so quickly that decisions made a year ago by local officials or state governments to get behind a data center are suddenly career-ending.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hyperscale centers<\/a> house infrastructure to power AI, with servers that sprawl over tens of thousands of square feet or more. The city of Page approved the sale of 500 acres for the proposed data center, though the location within that acreage hasn\u2019t been decided. The area sits on open land studded with blackbrush and native grasses near Horseshoe Bend<\/a>, an iconic curve of the Colorado River that has long been popular with tourists.<\/p>\n

Data centers gobble up electricity and rely on backup gas generators during times of peak energy demand. The resulting air pollution has been linked to heart conditions, respiratory issues, and elevated cancer risks, according to a number<\/a> of environmental studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Emissions from the centers could cause nearly 1,300 deaths annually<\/a> by 2030 and an annual public health burden of more than $20 billion in 2028, based on modeling<\/a> led by researchers at the University of California-Riverside.<\/p>\n

Cooling components can contain what are called forever chemicals<\/a>, synthetic substances that accumulate in human tissue, according to advocacy and environmental groups. And the hum and whir of generators and heating and air conditioning systems can exceed 90 decibels, which can harm hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Data centers are lit up for operations and security, creating light pollution that can increase the risk<\/a> of chronic disease, the groups say. The megafacilities also create what are known as data heat islands, which are higher-temperature zones caused by intense energy demands.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just starting to see the very early edge of the wave of the research into health impacts of data centers,\u201d said Alison Steele<\/a>, executive director of the Environmental Health Project, a nonprofit public health organization. \u201cBy the time we have a substantial volume of research it\u2019s going to be too late, because the decisions are being made now.\u201d<\/p>\n

A trade group for the data center industry said a review of the largest data center market \u2014 Virginia \u2014 found that use of backup power sources, including diesel generators, is minimal, and that existing state and federal regulations limit potential emissions or impacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cData centers are committed to being responsible partners where they operate,\u201d said Dan Diorio, executive vice president of state policy and government affairs at the Data Center Coalition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It Cuts Across Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mounting concerns about data centers are dividing candidates and pitting some GOP contenders against President Donald Trump, who supports the facilities\u2019 construction<\/a> as vital for economic growth.<\/p>\n

Two in 3 Americans oppose the construction<\/a> of new data centers in the U.S., according to an October Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.<\/p>\n

Such political standoffs are happening largely in states that Trump won in 2024, where most new data center capacity has been proposed. About 1,400<\/a> data centers operate in the U.S., and an additional 2,000-plus are planned.<\/p>\n

Sixty percent<\/a> of data center capacity under construction is in states Trump won by five percentage points or more, according to Cleanview<\/a>, a market intelligence company. Excluding Virginia, 92% is in states the president won.<\/p>\n

Hannah said the uptick in construction<\/a> has put Trump\u2019s coalition at particular risk because data centers are often built in rural areas, where the president has often enjoyed insurmountable margins of support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is where most of the data centers go,\u201d Hannah said. \u201cThey go into red states, because Republicans are less critical of economic opportunity. If it promises jobs and money, they\u2019re all in.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Page, signs opposing construction pepper front yards.<\/p>\n

The opposition to more data centers in the state could pose political risks for GOP House candidate Jay Feely<\/a>, who won his primary with an endorsement from Trump. He says they are key to keeping up with China. Democratic opponent Amish Shah<\/a> wants a pause on new construction in their district.<\/p>\n

The House seat they\u2019re vying for is considered competitive, and the contest could be pivotal in determining which party gains House control after the Nov. 3 midterms.<\/p>\n

In Arizona, 57% of registered voters oppose construction<\/a> of more large data centers, according to an August opt-in online poll of 1,040 registered voters by Noble Predictive Insights.<\/p>\n

More Than Costs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photos from across the nation featuring politicians at groundbreaking ceremonies for data centers held only a year or two ago are now campaign fodder.<\/p>\n

That has become a big problem for some elected leaders in Ohio, where more than a dozen local referendums or initiatives related to construction of the facilities will appear on ballots \u2014 the most of any state.<\/p>\n

The issue has forced its way to the forefront of the state\u2019s marquee U.S. Senate race. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, is hoping to return to Congress with pointed attacks against Republican Sen. Jon Husted over the matter.<\/p>\n

Roughly $2.5 billion in state and local tax breaks<\/a> over the last decade have prompted Meta, Amazon, Google, and other tech companies to erect dozens of data centers across Ohio. That boom has spurred protests<\/a> across<\/a> the state<\/a>, organized by local residents who are worried about the health, environmental, and financial impact of the structures.<\/p>\n

Brown has pinned the blame<\/a> on Husted directly with ads airing widely across Ohio that call him \u201cthe face of data centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re devouring our farmland, sucking up our water, and using our energy,\u201d Brown says in one recent video.<\/p>\n

A memo circulated by the National Republican Senatorial Committee in August and obtained by Politico described Brown\u2019s critiques as a big problem for Husted.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted\u2019s neck,\u201d warns the Aug. 18 memo<\/a>, which was shared with artificial intelligence companies.<\/p>\n

Husted has rebuffed these critiques by framing the construction of data centers as a local issue. More recently, he has said he wants to make sure that the companies building data centers pay for infrastructure costs, including energy.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Husted spokesperson Tom Evans reiterated that point, saying the senator believes \u201cdata centers should remain a local decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just costs that voters care about. An early-October opt-in survey<\/a> of 1,650 Ohio adults by Ohio Northern University and SurveyUSA found that 55% were opposed to data center construction. About two-thirds had a negative opinion of data centers\u2019 impact on their community\u2019s environment, and about half said the same about their impact on quality of living.<\/p>\n

Opponents of data centers cite noise, air, and water pollution as a concern, according to a Gallup poll<\/a>. Americans are more opposed to data centers in their area than nuclear power plants.<\/p>\n

The air pollution comes from gas turbines and diesel generators that have been linked to cardiovascular problems, asthma, and other health risks<\/a>. Cooling system chemicals, heavy metals, and construction runoff can enter the water supply<\/a> or rivers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they are fired up and powered by diesel, they emit a lot of air pollution like nitrogen oxide, and this pollutant can travel around the community and to those downwind,\u201d said Shaolei Ren, an electrical and computer engineering professor at the University of California-Riverside.<\/p>\n

Artificial intelligence data centers need so much space that they\u2019re moving from population centers into rural areas such as Page, Arizona. (Robert Housman)<\/p>\n

In Page, residents in July voted out the mayor<\/a> amid backlash over the Council\u2019s approval of the land sale for the data center. Opponents of data centers say it\u2019s a warning to candidates<\/a> in the midterm elections who back new construction.<\/p>\n

Some residents in this picturesque town of about 7,000 people remain worried that the health effects could plague them if the project goes forward. Jan Boehme lives in a neighborhood close to the proposed site. From her front lawn with its \u201cNo Data Center\u201d sign, she said she is concerned that a data center could become her new neighbor \u2014 and cause harms such as hearing loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re against it,\u201d she said. \u201cIn this area, there are a lot of houses, and I\u2019m concerned about all the noise.\u201d<\/p>\n

KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article<\/a> first appeared on KFF Health News<\/a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PAGE, Ariz. \u2014 Doug Herrera still lives in the house his father built, though his dad died some time ago from cancer. Herrera wonders if that illness could have been linked to pollutants from nearby uranium mining. Now, he worries that a possible new neighbor \u2014 a proposed $10 billion mega data center \u2014 could…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":16392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16391"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}