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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The Pima County Health Department has released a public health review on data centers. The review is intended to serve as a framework for decision-makers to consider when approving, constructing, and running data centers in the county.
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As potential data center projects have increased throughout Arizona, guidelines for determining potential environmental and health impacts were found to be lacking.
“There really wasn’t a formal tool to do this,” said John Neatherlin, of the Pima County Health Department.
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The PCHD, in collaboration with researchers at Johns Hopkins, developed a framework of potential implications that could arise during any of a data center’s life cycle phases.
“For each of those phases of the life cycle we’re like – well this is a pathway that could impact air quality, this is a pathway that could impact water quality, this is a pathway that could impact respiratory diseases or cardiovascular diseases,” Neatherlin said.
After finding 21 potential pathways, Neatherlin said the department determined, through health department metrics, which are most crucial to consider when it comes to data centers in Pima County.
“Potential implications for increased heat- right, we are already heat vulnerable, as everyone knows. We are also water vulnerable as a community,” Neatherlin said.
Data also showed less obvious implications that could be significant for the county.
“The things that would cause increased rates of asthma, I think, would be something that would be very important for us to watch. We have high rates of cardiovascular disease and hypertension,” Neatherlin said.
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Neatherlin said the goal is for the framework to be applied on a smaller scale to specific communities within the county that might see a data center, to inform decision-making.
The implications of the review extend beyond Pima County.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said the review is one of the reasons she called for a statewide pause on the approval and construction of data centers.
“You have concerns about temperature increases in an already overheated environment; you have concerns about air emissions, light emissions and light pollution, noise pollution,” Mayes said.
Mayes said that in its current state, especially following Colorado River cuts, Arizona is not in a position to build or house data centers.
“I think we need to hit pause, at least temporarily, until we get our arms around whether we have enough water and power for the people and businesses that are already in the state of Arizona,” Mayes said.
Mayes said that for the pause to move forward, she needs the governor and Legislature to create legislation that would stop data center approval and construction. She said that before data center building continues, the state needs to develop a plan to address its current water supply.
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