PSR Monitor

PSR takes Washington, DC!

Earlier this month we joined our friends with the Climate Action Campaign, Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, and American Lung Association in Washington, DC to emphasize the importance of protecting our health and climate. Over 100 health professionals across the country came together to educate and connect with folks on the Hill. PSR staff, board, and health professional members met with 26 Congressional Offices and our Executive Director, Brian Campbell, met with the White House Climate Team and Council on Environmental Quality. Thank you to our Climate Ambassadors and attendees Alan Lockwood, MD; Anne Lockwood, PhD; Susan Racine, MD and Doug Hendren, MD! See more photos and information about whom we met with.

We need a clean budget now, contact your Members of Congress!

We're once again looking at the possibility of a government shutdown due to congressional inaction on the Fiscal Year 2024 budget. Unfortunately, House Republicans are not only proposing to cut billions of dollars from agencies like the EPA; they're also trying to include dozens of dangerous amendments known as policy riders. In the past few months, we've seen hundreds of "poison pill" policy riders added to appropriations bills that have no basis in health, science or fact. Congress shouldn’t be playing politics with your health and wellbeing, nor with the stability of our climate. Urge your Members of Congress to VOTE NO on the inclusion of policy riders in the budgetary process!

Fracking with Forever Chemicals in West Virginia

This month, PSR will release its new report on the use of PFAS chemicals in gas drilling and extraction in West Virginia. This is the sixth and final state-specific report on the use of these dangerous "forever" chemicals in the oil and gas industry. While the reports identify specific wells where PFAS have been used, we also found that the industry more frequently shielded key information from public view by declaring it to be "Confidential Business Information." Stayed tuned for the upcoming report release on March 19.

I'll Be Joining an Environmentally Friendly Practice

Attracting the best young professionals to your practice is essential for your long-term success. This month, PSR's My Green Doctor emphasizes this in a concise three-minute blog titled "I'll Be Joining an Environmentally Friendly Practice." Talented, community-minded doctors, nurses, and office specialists now consider the value commitments of the practices they join, where having an environmental sustainability program can offer a competitive advantage in a crowded recruitment market. My Green Doctor, a free money-saving membership benefit from Physicians for Social Responsibility, provides tools like the “Meeting-by-Meeting Guide” to help practices adopt environmental sustainability and save resources, making small changes that accumulate over time. Register today at www.MyGreenDoctor.org or www.MyGreenDoctor.es (en español) using the discount code MGDPSR to access My Green Doctor for free, saving $60 instantly and potentially thousands in the first year. Watch the "Three Minute Video" to see how easy it is to integrate My Green Doctor into your next agenda!

PSR teams with GasLeaks to Address the Health Harms of Gas Stoves

It is no longer a mystery, but a known fact that gas stoves are harmful to our health. PSR National is teaming up with GasLeaks to uplift their petition urging the Consumer Safety Product Commission (CPSC) to require warning labels on gas stoves through the #BreakUpWithGas campaign. This effort will help consumers make informed decisions when purchasing new home cooking appliances, and hopefully help them see that electric alternatives like electric induction stoves are the better choice for their health and the planet. Sign the petition below at Break Up With Gas campaign website.

Last Chance to Apply for PSR National's Next Generation Climate Ambassador Program

It's the last chance to apply to be a Next Generation Climate & Health Ambassador at PSR National for our upcoming March - June 2024 cohort. The program offers monthly content and skills training sessions and opportunities to work hand-in-hand with PSR chapters on projects related to climate and environmental health. If you are a health professional student or emerging health professional (<35 years of age) interested in learning more about the intersection of climate change and human health, environmental justice, and what you can do to ensure future generations have a livable planet, please apply at the link below. Applications are due Monday, March 4th, 2024.

Black History Month — A Push for Environmental Justice

This Black History Month, PSR National is making a push for environmental justice. PSR honored Black leaders in the nuclear abolition and environmental justice movements in a social campaign, highlighting trailblazers like Wangari Maathai, Dr. Robert Bullard, and Vanessa Nakate. PSR also urged members to tell their reps to prioritize environmental justice in their legislation, specifically to bring the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act to a floor vote. This act seeks to address the disproportionate burden of air pollution, environmental health impacts, and resource scarcity due to environmental racism Black Americans have dealt with for far too long. Learn more and take action below.

Welcome PSR’s new Environment & Health Intern

E&H has a new intern! Tasnia Hakim has joined our team. Over the course of spring 2024, she will help expand and update the information on the PSR website to portray the full spectrum of the E&H program.

Tasnia is a student at NYU in New York, working on her B.S. in Global Public Health. She served as a research fellow with the Youth Justice Board/Youth Action Institute Fellowship, where she authored a policy report to encourage sex education in classrooms to be more LGBTQ+ inclusive. Earlier, she interned with Stop AAPI Hate.

Tasnia is also one of PSR’s Next-Generation Climate Ambassadors, where she worked with Washington PSR on a project proposal opposing hydrogen blending.

Welcome, Tasnia!

New Report from ICAN: Untenable Investments: Nuclear Weapon Producers and their Financiers

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has issued a new report examining the involvement of investors in the production, maintenance or modernization of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons manufacturers rely on private funding for critical parts of the development process. Therefore, financial institutions are uniquely placed to leverage the weapons manufacturing industry. The report's finding, that the number of investors in nuclear weapons development has dropped (306 to 287) for the third year in a row, is encouraging. However, the value of those investments has increased. PSR is one of 650 ICAN partner organizations in 110 countries.

In a nuclear war, how much fallout would hit your town?

Since the 1960s, intercontinental missiles have been based in 400 underground silos spread across thousands of square miles of the Great Plains. If a nuclear war occurred, these silos would be high priority targets at the onset. PSR opposes plans to spend $125 billion to replace these land-based missiles with a new version, called the "Sentinel." Sebastien Philippe and his fellow Princeton researchers conducted a two-year technical study to assess the radiological consequences of  nuclear fallout from such an attack. It's not a pretty picture. Besides an interactive map that you can use to determine the likely fallout in your own town or zipcode, "The Missiles on our Land" project also produced  3 articles for the December issue of Scientific American, a documentary film, and a 5-part podcast series.

Take PSR's 2024 Membership Survey Today

Now is the time for us to act with even more boldness in our vision for a healthy, just, and sustainable future. Our members are essential to making this vision a reality, and we are eager to hear your thoughts on PSR's work. Please take a moment to complete the 2024 Annual Membership Survey. We greatly appreciate your feedback, which will help guide our work to address the gravest threats to human health. To ensure we receive your important feedback in time, please complete the survey by February 29th.

Upcoming Events

Hydrogen Blending in Buildings: Effects on Health & Climate
Thu. Feb. 29, 2024, Noon - 1:00 pm EST
PSR Pennsylvania webinar on the dangers of hydrogen blending, presented by Linnea Bond and Christina DiGiulio. Register

Colorado Climate Lobby Day
Fri. Mar. 1, 2024, 8:00 am - Noon MST
First Baptist Church of Denver, 1373 Grant St, Denver, CO
Join 350 Colorado's Climate Lobby Day in Denver, cohosted by PSR Colorado. Meet with Colorado lawmakers, urging them to pass legislation to reduce emissions and promote solutions to the climate crisis. Register

Greater Boston PSR's March Monthly Meeting
Mon. Mar. 4, 2024, 7:00 pm EST
GBPSR's monthly meeting - Open to All. Contact Executive Director Anna Linakis for questions or to request the Zoom link: info@gbpsr.org.

Rocky Flats Lawsuit Hearing
Federal District Court 333 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC
Wed. Mar. 6, 10:00 am EST
PSR urges members to consider attending this important hearing, part of our lawsuit against the proposed trail in an area contaminated with plutonium.

Climate Change and the Human Health Echo: The Global Nuclear Threat and Nuclear Landscapes in the United States
Wed. Mar. 6, 2024, Noon - 1:00 pm MST
Session one of this biweekly series features speaker Dr. Bob Gould of SF Bay PSR. Co-sponsored by PSR National and SF Bay PSR. Register

The Importance of Being a Community Watchdog
Thu. Mar. 7, Noon - 1:00 pm EST
Join PSR Pennsylvania as Christina DiGiulio, PSR PA's environmental chemist, shares how individuals or groups can monitor the activities of toxic corporations. Register

Fracking with Forever Chemicals in West Virginia
Tue. Mar. 19, 9:00 am EST
New report by PSR National goes live, revealing the use of toxic PFAS chemicals in gas wells in West Virginia. Webinar follows. For details, contact bgottlieb@psr.org.

Climate Change and the Human Health Echo: Health Impacts of Radiation
Wed. Mar. 20, Noon - 1:00 pm MDT
Session two of this biweekly series features speaker Dan Hirsch. Co-sponsored by PSR National and SF Bay PSR. Register

Uranium Film Festival
Sat. Mar. 23 & Sun. Mar. 24
Reuter Center, University of North Carolina, 300 Campus View Rd, Asheville, NC
The Western North Carolina Chapter of PSR is sponsoring a presentation of The Uranium Film Festival. Entry is free, donations welcome. View program

Climate Change, Child Health, and Our Role as Healthcare Providers
Mon. Mar. 25, 7:00 - 8:00 pm CDT
Texas PSR webinar on the health impacts of climate change, social risk factors, and reducing health care's climate footprint. Register

LTEs: Fun, Quick, Effective Climate Action
Fri. Mar. 29, Noon - 1:00 pm EDT
Pull out your lunch or pour a cup of tea and learn how to write a letter to the editor with us during this online letter writing lunch and learn, from PSR Pennsylvania. Register

Climate Change and the Human Health Echo: Environmental Justice and Nuclear Harms Panel
Wed. Apr. 3, Noon - 1:30 pm MDT
Session three of this biweekly series is a panel facilitated by Dr. Bob Gould of SF Bay PSR. Co-sponsored by PSR National and SF Bay PSR. Register

PSR Actions

Tell Congress you want a clean budget, no poison pills!

Gas exports paused, keep the pressure on!

In the news

Unearthing Black Voices Against Nuclear Weapons
Maylene Hughes, PSR-Los Angeles, Back from the Brink Beacon - Feb 21

City College adopts a Green New Deal
San Francisco Bay View - Feb 16
Mentions SF Bay PSR

How a Legal Loophole Allows Gas Leaks to Keep on Flowing
Yale Environment 360 - Feb 13
Quotes PSR Pennsylvania

A prescription for peace in Gaza: Use America's leverage
Yazeed Ibrahim, MD, PSR-Los Angeles co-president; Ira Helfand, MD, PSR past president; Robert Dodge, MD, PSR-Los Angeles co-president; David E. Drake, DO, PSR past president;, Des Moines Register - Feb 12

For shame
Ned Ketyer, MD, President, PSR Pennsylvania, The Philadephia Inquirer - Feb 12
Letter to the editor on opposition to fracking in Pennsylvania

Alabama execution was torture
Andy Harris, Oregon PSR Advisory Board, The Oregonian - Feb 9

The pragmatist's guide to nuclear disarmament
Steve Olson, Washington PSR Member, The Seattle Times - Feb 9

Fracking endangers health, ecosystems
LNP - Feb 7
Mentions PSR

WildEarth Guardians calls for PFAS pollution controls for oil and gas in New Mexico
WildEarth Guardians - Feb 7
Cites PSR's Fracking Chemicals in New Mexico report

Madison needs more transparency on F-35s, residents say
The Capital Times - Feb 2
Quotes PSR Wisconsin's Paula Rogge

Trail Construction in Contaminated Refuge Must Stop, Judge Told
Bloomberg Law - Feb 1
Coverage of PSR lawsuit

New Mexico Archbishop Wester calls Catholics to work for nuclear abolition
National Catholic Reporter - Jan 31
Coverage of event featuring PSR Past President Ira Helfand, MD

California moves forward with landmark plastic waste reduction law
Environmental Health News - Jan 30
Quotes Mithzy Hernandez, Communications Manager at PSR-Los Angeles

Kudos for Sri Lanka in US for ratifying Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Daily FT (Sri Lanka) - Jan 27
Coverage of Chesapeake PSR's visit to the Embassy of Sri Lanka

John Pilger warns of a new fascism
IndyBay - Jan 27
Cites PSR's Body Count report

Affordable housing: Support permanent funding source
Charles Jacob Mayer, MD, MPH, Washington PSR, Seattle Times - Jan 26

Tax system: Implications for public health
Max Savishinsky, Washington PSR Executive Director, The Seattle Times - Jan 25

Supervisors extend deadline to file suit on toxic site cleanup plan
Ojai Valley News - Jan 25
Mentions SF Bay PSR

Announcing: 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards Semifinalists
EcoAmerica - Jan 18
PSR-Los Angeles is among this year's semifinalists for its work to ensure that communities are healthy, safe, and equitable places to live, work, play, and learn.