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Nearly 1,900 public schools in the U.S. are located within a mile of existing or proposed data centers, prompting concerns among researchers, educators and parents about potential health risks stemming from the artificial intelligence (AI) industry’s rapid expansion.
Research highlighted by the National Education Association identified 1,878 public schools within a mile of data centers, including 602 in California and 101 in Virginia.
The findings come as researchers examine the environmental consequences of a booming AI sector whose electricity demands are expected to increase drastically in the coming years.
A 2024 study conducted by the University of California, Riverside, and California Institute of Technology looked at prospective effects of the industry’s growth. Researchers estimated that air pollution associated with AI infrastructure could contribute to as many as 1,300 premature deaths annually in the U.S. by 2030, with public health costs approaching $20 billion.
The projections account for pollution — including fine particulate matter linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases — from electricity generation and diesel backup generators.
“If you look at those sustainability reports by tech companies, they only focus on carbon emissions, and some of them include water as well, but there’s absolutely no mention of unhealthful air pollutants. And these pollutants are already creating a public health burden,” said Shaolei Ren, Ph.D., a UC Riverside engineering professor and study co-author.
Although research directly linking data center proximity to specific illnesses among schoolchildren remains limited, studies examining other sources of industrial pollution have documented significant consequences for children’s health and education.
A 2026 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that nearly 10,000 U.S. schools, enrolling 3.36 million students, are located within a quarter-mile of known environmental hazard sites. About 44% of schools are within a mile of at least one site.
The study specifically examined Superfund sites, contaminated former industrial properties known as brownfields, and facilities that report toxic chemical releases to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“The location of schools relative to these hazards has direct implications for children’s development and learning given the well-documented negative health and academic effects of exposure to pollution,” the researchers wrote.
Researchers cautioned that their findings likely underestimate the number of schools potentially exposed to hazardous pollutants because the analysis excluded several pollution sources.
Diesel generators linked to asthma attacks, reduced lung function in kids
A major concern with the spread of AI data centers is their reliance on diesel-powered backup generators, which can release nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter.
Large facilities can house hundreds of generators intended to maintain operations during power outages. Their emissions depend on factors including generator capacity, operating hours, fuel use and pollution controls.
The EPA has linked pollution from generators to asthma attacks, reduced lung function and impaired lung development in children.
Kids are particularly vulnerable to air pollution because their lungs and other organs are still developing.
A 2026 analysis by Virginia Commonwealth University found that clusters of data centers can produce substantial air pollution, with combined annual emissions in some cases exceeding those of nearby power plants.
“Something that we were surprised to learn through this process is you’d rather be living next to a natural gas power plant than living next to a whole bunch of data centers, in terms of the total amount of air pollution they put out per year,” said Damian Pitt, Ph.D., the study’s lead author and an associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Noise pollution linked to sleep disruption, learning difficulties
Beyond diesel emissions, researchers also identified industrial noise, water consumption and electricity demand as environmental concerns associated with thriving AI data centers.
A 2024 U.S. Department of Energy report warned that expanding AI data centers could strain electricity supplies. The report cited federal projections that data center electricity consumption could nearly triple by 2028.
A 2026 study published in Frontiers in Climate examined environmental pressures associated with Virginia’s growing data center industry, including noise pollution and water use.
Cooling equipment and other mechanical systems can produce persistent noise, raising questions about noise pollution in nearby classrooms and neighborhoods.
Research on environmental noise more broadly has linked prolonged exposure to sleep disruption, impaired concentration and learning difficulties. However, evidence establishing those outcomes specifically from data center noise remains limited.
In Virginia, the Department of Environmental Quality launched an air monitoring initiative near data centers in Loudoun County, including at schools, to assess local air quality and determine whether additional testing is needed.
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Residents push back against data centers near schools
Pollution, noise and the proximity of industrial infrastructure to classrooms have triggered opposition to proposed data centers in several communities.
In Frederick County, Maryland, plans for a large data center development about 500 feet from Carroll Manor Elementary School spurred officials to install air monitoring equipment.
The proposed Quantum Frederick Data Center Campus encompasses approximately 2,100 acres, according to Education Week.
Alison L. Steele, executive director of the Environmental Health Project, warned that air pollution, industrial noise and around-the-clock lighting from AI data centers could threaten children’s health and learning.
“Children are especially susceptible to air pollution because they breathe proportionally more air than adults, and their bodies are still developing,” Steele told The Defender.
She added:
“From an education standpoint, exposure to certain types of air pollution, such as PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide and ozone, that we might expect to see from facilities with similar air pollution profiles … is associated with lower academic performance. Regardless of how the data center is powered, noise pollution may be a factor.”
She said emissions from natural gas power plants and diesel generators could increase asthma risks, while constant low-frequency noise could interfere with concentration, learning and sleep. Exposure to certain air pollutants has also been linked to poorer academic performance.
“It’s safe to say that the technology is outpacing the scientific community’s ability to study it and the government’s ability to regulate it,” Steele said.
In Palm Beach County, Florida, teachers and parents opposed a proposed 4 million-square-foot data center approximately 1,200 feet from Saddle View Elementary School.
Plans for the development included more than 600 industrial cooling fans, prompting concerns about noise and other environmental effects.
“I’m not necessarily opposed to the idea of data centers,” teacher Julie Cink told the National Education Association. “They have to go somewhere I suppose, but why was this one being placed so close to our school, so close to our homes?”
Palm Beach County commissioners rejected the proposal in July.
Related articles in The Defender
- AI Data Centers’ Growing Air Pollution Threatens Children’s Developing Brains and Lungs
- Cheating the System: How AI Data Centers Bypass Water and Air Pollution Laws and Permits
- Trump Calls for Rapid Expansion of AI Data Centers, Including on Federal Lands
- ‘The New Enemy’: Noise Pollution From AI Data Centers Causing Nausea, Insomnia
- AI Data Center Boom Fueling ‘Tidal Wave’ of New PFAS Production
- 5 Things to Know About AI Data Centers Rolling Out Across Rural U.S.
