STOP Data Centers
Data Centers Create Harmful Noise Pollution
The industrial machines of data centers produce continuous 24/7 noise spanning multiple frequencies. Research has found that anthropogenic noise can increase stress, disrupt sleep, and impact sleep, mental health, and cognitive performance, which can lead to poor school or work performance. These frequencies can propagate long distances, and while many are inaudible to humans, many animal species such as cows, have wider hearing ranges. Noise generated by data center operations can contribute to chronic stress in livestock and wildlife, as scientific studies have shown that prolonged exposure to elevated noise levels can increase stress hormone concentrations (e.g., cortisol and corticosterone), elevate heart and respiratory rates, disrupt feeding, breeding, and communication behaviors, impair immune function, and reduce overall productivity.
Infrasound (<20 Hz) and ultrasonic noise (>20,000 Hz) is the extremely high frequencies hat sit above the threshold of human hearing.
Tonal and low-frequency noise consists of continuous, often low-frequency hums between 50 Hz and 200 Hz, that are perceived as a distinct pitch, whine, or drone. It can be detected for several miles.
Vibration from cooling equipment, generators, pumps, and other mechanical systems can travel through the ground and nearby structures, affecting people and wildlife. Because it is not routinely measured in conventional noise assessments, vibration impacts may be overlooked during project review.
Data center noise is inadequately measured and monitored. Traditional noise ordinances typically rely on A-weighted decibel (dBA) measurements and may not adequately assess the low-frequency, tonal, infrasonic, impulsive, and continuous noise generated by hyperscale data centers. In addition, standard noise monitoring equipment does not capture the full range of these emissions, meaning facilities can comply with conventional noise limits while still causing significant community impacts.
“Loudoun County stipulates that sound levels in residential and rural areas should not exceed 55 decibels and in mixed-use residential areas should not exceed 60 decibels at any time. However, the stipulations exempt “[s]ounds created by generators and accessory equipment operating during an emergency or at the request of a utility, and the testing of said generators and emergency equipment,” along with other exemptions.
“It’s right there, in all its glory,” resident Hari Doue said, alleging that the neighborhood was initially told that the data center was testing its generators to make sure they worked in case of an emergency. However, they have not been turned off since they were actived over a year ago, according to the resident.
Data Centers Increase Air Pollution
The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” 2026 report identified data centers as an increasing source of air pollution concern due to both their electricity demand and diesel backup generators. Data centers rely on dozens of diesel generators that emit particulate matter, nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), and other pollutants linked to asthma, heart disease, and premature death.
MIT News states 60% of the increased electricity demands from data centers will be met by burning fossil fuels, with a Goldman Sachs report estimating increased global carbon emissions of about 220 million tons.
A report by Caltech and the University of California Riverside estimates data center air pollution will contribute to 1,300 premature deaths every year in the U.S. by 2030, disproportionately affecting certain low-income communities.
Research by Virginia Commonwealth University found data center air pollution in Northern Virginia has risen sharply as the number of facilities has grown.
“While intervening to support Elon Musk’s company, xAI, in a Clean Air Act lawsuit the NAACP brought against the company, the U.S. Department of Justice argued that xAI should be allowed to break the law solely because the Trump administration says so. The claim is a blatant attempt to take power away from local communities, the courts, and Congress and consolidate it with the Trump administration.”
“In the filing, the Department of Justice never disputes that xAI is pumping out unlawful and harmful pollution into Memphis and North Mississippi. Instead, the Department argues that it doesn’t matter whether xAI is breaking the law and threatening community members’ health if the Trump Administration blesses the lawlessness. While the Department points to vague national security concerns as its reason to let xAI continue to illegally pollute unabated, all companies, even ones that contract with the federal government, are required to follow the law”
Data Centers Increase Forever Chemical PFAS Contamination
Data centers host tens of thousands of servers that run 24/7 and they require semiconductors, cooling systems, water treatment chemicals, and fire suppressants – all sources of PFAS forever chemicals. Many projects are using two-phase immersion cooling, which uses PFAS.
PFAS are persistent environmental pollutants linked to cancer, immune dysfunction, reproductive harm, and other serious health effects. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute reports that data centers are driving expanded PFAS material manufacturing that has already been linked to widespread drinking water contamination.
Chemours, one of the largest global producers of PFAS and one of the biggest suppliers of PFAS materials for data center coolants and semiconductor production (semiconductors are used to make data center microchips) stated in its 2026 Report, “The company aims to expand production of its PFAS materials, in particular resin for semiconductor manufacturing, to accommodate the growth of data centers across the country.” In 2026, the company reached a $450 million settlement for poisoning the Cape Fear, Delaware, and Ohio rivers with PFAS.
“The vast data centers that power artificial intelligence guzzle huge amounts of energy but they also have another alarming impact, according to new research. They are creating “heat islands,” warming the land around them by up to 16 degrees Fahrenheit, and making life hotter for more than 340 million people.”
“Strikingly, the impacts weren’t limited to a data center’s immediate surroundings; temperature increases affected areas up to 6.2 miles away.”
This single AI data center in Utah is a prime example of the problems these facilities are causing….
Stratos Data Center in Box Elder County, Utah, would cost $100 billion to build and use 9 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, generated entirely from on-site gas power plants, to power its operations.
This would nearly double the entire state of Utah’s electricity 2025 peak demand.
If the 9 GW of power is generated with a combined-cycle combustion turbine (CCCT):
Use about 448 billion cubic feet of gas per year, roughly 1.5 times more natural gas than the entire state of Utah currently uses across all homes, businesses, and existing power plants combined.
Produce 1,857 tons of NOx/year, ~5 times more than the entirety of Box Elder County’s industrial emissions
Produce 30.2 million tons of CO2/year, increasing the entire state’s CO2 emissions by 55%.
Use 16.6 billion gallons of water/year just to operate the gas turbines. This amount of annual water use would fill approximately 25,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Click here for Data Center Map and other information about data centers
Hyperscaled Data Centers
Hyperscaled data centers hold massive amounts of high-performance computing and networking infrastructure, which uses a massive amount of energy to power and cool these systems., These data centers are commonly cooled by water, which is straining water supplies across the world.
These massive datacenters strain water supplies, with the largest centers using 5 million gallons per day.
Many have onsite power generation and backup generators that emit greenhouse gases and air pollution, along with a loud, constant humming noise.,
The widespread and growing use of AI has exponentially increased the power consumption by data centers, as AI usage and development models use a tremendous amount of energy.
Traditional CPU servers use 300-500 watts per server, whereas AI servers use 3,000-5,000 watts per server.
In 2023, 4.4% of all energy used in the United States was used by data centers and is projected to hit 12% by 2028.
The dramatic increase in energy consumption for AI is driving the construction of not just more data centers, but also energy infrastructure, including power plants that use fossil fuels.
The heat generated by hyperscaled data centers creates a huge “heat island” up to 16℉, warming the air up to 6 miles away, harming wildlife, plants, and crops.
Data Center Smoke and Mirrors
The hyperscaled data center boom is smoke and mirrors to make developers' money. The economics of these massive data centers don’t add up.
Research by MIT shows 95% of corporate AI projects fail to deliver meaningful returns on $40 billion in investments. Yet there are unprecedented AI infrastructure investments, with these investments exceeding the annual profits of many companies funding them.
There is a disconnect between AIs commercial value and the scale of investment.
Two speakers, both affiliated with CleanEarth4Kids, called for a total ban on data centers altogether. In addition to the environmental impacts, John Bottorff highlighted the potential economic impacts down the line, warning that the AI bubble is likely going to burst soon and cause greater problems than its 2000s predecessor, the dot com bubble.
He also pointed to other areas as a cautionary tale, both in how citizens are impacted and how developers skirt regulations.
"Please don’t destroy our environment and farmland for short-term gains for developers. We are already seen residents of towns and cities being told they don’t get water because the new data center gets priority. The same thing is happening for electricity," Bottorff said. "There’s also a documented history of these developers ignoring regulations, be it building their own power plants or just piping things in and dumping whatever. ... If the fine is cheaper than doing it right, they will pay the fine. They don’t care."
Suzanne Hume, founder of CleanEarth4Kids, expressed concerns about health impacts down the line.
"Are you all going to be responsible for helping children and pregnant women not get cancer from PFAS because our water is poisoned? Do you want to be responsible for that? Do you want to be responsible for lead and heavy metals?"
“Thinking about all of the pollution and harm to our water, our way of life, our air, our children’s health and future has us out here and wanting people to know about the harm,” said Suzanne Hume of Clean Earth 4 Kids.
Hume said Missouri needs to slow down on data centers until regulations can catch up.
“Missouri lacks regulations. We need statewide regulations in place and also we need ordinances at the city and county level,” Hume said. “We lose out time and time again as we try to protect our health and our future.”