Health Effects from Fossil Fuel Generated Energy From Excavation, to Burning, to Disposal of Waste Jane Bright, HealthLink NESEA Conference March 14, 2007

About HealthLink Started with cancer question Asked consequences of living under Salem power plant Formed all volunteer citizens group Got informed Connected with like-minded groups Helped get regulations changed

Burning Coal and Oil- Respiratory Problems Smog and Ozone from NOx and SO2 Fine Particulates pass through lung tissue Children breathe more air proportionately, more exposed PAHs-known carcinogen Illustration Source: NIH http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Ards/Ards_HowLungsWork.html

Respiratory/Heart Diseases Linked to Air Pollution Asthma Premature deaths Chronic bronchitis Restricted activity days Respiratory hospital admissions Cardiovascular hospital admissions Source: Harvard School of Public Health

Mercury: Neurotoxin Effects on Children Brain damage Mental retardation Poor coordination Speech difficulties Serious effects on the fetus and newborn Source: Physicians for Social Responsibility

Mercury: Neurotoxin Effects on Adults Personality changes Tremors Vision problems Poor muscle coordination Memory loss Digestive system problems Cardiovascular Renal Ocular systems Source: Physicians for Social Responsibility

Global Warming Above pictures from Greenpeace. Left picture taken in 1922, right picture 2002

Global Warming and Our Health Personal injury from severe storms, lightning, flash floods, and ice storms. More diseases spread by ticks and mosquitoes, such as West Nile Virus and Lyme disease. Toxic algal blooms, or red tides causing severe illnesses, such as paralytic shellfish poisoning Heat-related illness and death

Global Warming Diseases cont: Food contaminated by E. coli, salmonellosis Hepatitis A, listeria, shigella, cyclospora, and campylobacter from summer heat waves Increased death rate from heart failure Source: Death by Degrees from PSR Decreased air quality from increased ozone (smog) levels Severe cases of asthma and other respiratory increased allergy problems due to heightened pollen levels and air pollutants

Coal Mining Source: http://magazine.audubon.org/features0703/photoessay.html

Mining Results in Community Destruction Mountaintop removal, up close and personal in Southern West Virginia. Photo by Vivian Stockman, April 23, 2005

Exxon Valdez: 1,300 miles of shoreline were impacted Source: State of Alaska http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/History/PWSmap.cfm

Toxic Combustion Waste Lagoons and landfills filled with coal ash present a cancer risk up to 10,000 times greater than federal rules allow, BUT EPA will not regulate! 450 coal-burning utility plants produce more than 130 million tons of ash annually Leaches into ground water and our drinking water Source: Earth Justice Arsenic, Mercury, Chromium, Cadmium, Lead, Selenium and Boron Cause deformities, reproductive problems and cancers in humans.

What to Do? Support renewable energy Demand we stop burning and mining fossil fuels Begin with personal conservation Pictured: Wind turbines in Denmark

Additional Resources HealtLink: http://www.citizensinaction.org/ Email: healthlink@healthlink.org Phone: 781-598-1115 Asthma: EPA http://www.epa.gov/airprogm/oar/oaqps/eog/ozonehealth/effects.html Health Publications http://www.psr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=enviro_resources American Lung Association http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/lk/links.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=36751 Fine Particulates: Mass DEP http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=mg2terminal&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Resident&L2=Environment&L3=Air+Quality&sid=massgov2&b=terminalcontent&f=airquality_particulates&csid=massgov2 Global Warming http://www.heatisonline.org/main.cfm http://www.climatenetwork.org/ Power Plant Pollution http://www.uspirg.org/issues/clean-air/cleaning-up-power-plants http://www.cleanwateraction.org/energy/index.htm Coal combustion Waste http://www.catf.us/publications/view/87