Published: 17:24 GMT, 26 October 2025 | Updated: 17:25 GMT, 26 October 2025

A growing network of at least 5,000 data centers across the US is becoming a hidden public health threat, scientists have warned.

That is because the energy-hungry backbone of artificial intelligence pumps out dangerous pollutants that can cause asthma, cancer and even death.

Researchers say that as demand for AI and cloud computing surges, pollution from the diesel generators that keep these facilities operating could soon rival emissions from entire industries, with Caltech estimating 1,300 premature deaths annually linked to the toxic plumes.

The backup generators, used to maintain 'uptime' during power failures, are often diesel-powered, releasing clouds of fine-particle pollution that spread across state lines.

In total, the emissions could cost the US $20 billion each year through health problems and lost productivity, according to researchers.

The energy needed to train a single Meta large language model equals 10,000 car trips from Los Angeles to New York City, and individual data centers can consume as much power as small cities.

Professor Francesca Dominici of Harvard University warned that the health implications of these sites remain overlooked, telling Daily Mail: 'As the number of hyperscale data centers continues to demand increasing amounts of energy, we must start considering their environmental and health impacts on surrounding communities, an issue that, right now, is largely missing from the conversation.'

Diesel exhaust contains tiny particles linked to heart attacks, lung disease, and cancer, and researchers say their concentration is highest around data center clusters such as Northern Virginia's 'Data Center Alley' and West Virginia, where facilities consume city-scale power levels.

In Virginia, dozens of data centers have been approved or built, among the 1,240 spread across the US.