The EEA figures exclude negative effects from the extraction and sourcing of coal (e.g. occupational diseases and associated environmental damages such as water and soil pollution). The additional life cycle effects of coal are in fact the cause of additional health problems, especially in the case of lignite. Furthermore, these figures do not fully account for the negative impacts caused by early life exposure to certain heavy metals such as mercury, with its neuro-toxic effects, leading to IQ loss and subsequent loss of earning potential.