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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. Coal Mining
Source:

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

12. Exxon Valdez: 1,300 miles of shoreline were impacted
Source: State of Alaska

13. 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.

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

15. Additional Resources
HealtLink: Phone:
Asthma: EPA
Health Publications
American Lung Association
Fine Particulates: Mass DEP
Global Warming
Power Plant Pollution
Coal combustion Waste