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Health Effects from Fossil Fuel Generated Energy

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

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Health Effects from Fossil Fuel Generated Energy

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  1. Health Effects from Fossil Fuel Generated Energy From Excavation, to Burning, to Disposal of Waste Jane Bright, HealthLinkNESEA 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: NIHhttp://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Ards/Ards_HowLungsWork.html

  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. 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 and Our Health

  9. 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 Global Warming Diseases cont:

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

  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 http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/History/PWSmap.cfm

  13. 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. Toxic Combustion Waste

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

  15. HealtLink: http://www.citizensinaction.org/Email: healthlink@healthlink.orgPhone: 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 Associationhttp://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/lk/links.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=36751 Fine Particulates: Mass DEPhttp://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.cfmhttp://www.climatenetwork.org/ Power Plant Pollutionhttp://www.uspirg.org/issues/clean-air/cleaning-up-power-plantshttp://www.cleanwateraction.org/energy/index.htm Coal combustion Waste http://www.catf.us/publications/view/87 Additional Resources

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