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PSR PA Statement on Today's SCOTUS Ruling

The Supreme Court decision in West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
disables the EPA's mission and revokes its authority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Congress must act to correct this misguided decision that benefits the profiteers of the fossil fuel industry while endangering life on Earth. 

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania must step into its independent ability to use the Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act (APCA) that authorizes the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to reduce both carbon pollution and the cost of energy while, revitalizing healthy employment opportunities. 

Burning fossil fuels is responsible for 1 out 5 deaths globally. It is our duty in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to defy court rulings that are beholden to corporate interests and instead establish a just transition to renewable energy that is healthy for workers, families, and all life on Earth.  

Tammy Murphy
Medical Advocacy Director
PSR PA Statement on Dobbs Decision to Overturn Roe v Wade

Last Friday, the United States Supreme Court made the drastic decision to overturn the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade allowing each state to independently create any laws that regulate or completely ban abortion services.

Our mission at PSR PA is to safeguard and improve public health with our focus being on the climate crisis, environmental degradation and violence prevention. We do not normally take a stance on issues outside of our focus area, but in the wake of this decision which will particularly affect health of poor and working people and people of color we must make our voice heard.

We support the health professionals that are dedicated to protecting the health of their patients and are now at risk themselves and echo the belief that there will be many serious health harms that result because of this decision.

Tonyehn Verkitus
Executive Director
PSR PA News & Blogs
National Healthy Homes Month
By Ned Ketyer, MD

June is National Healthy Homes Month. Every year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gathers partners from around the country “to increase awareness of housing-related health hazards” and “to encourage residents to take steps for safe and healthy homes.”

This year’s campaign theme is “A Healthy Home at Any Age.” HUD explains why children deserve special attention:
Creating healthier housing promotes the healthy growth and development of children and has the potential to save billions in health care costs.

Continue reading on our blog.
And read Ned's two additional blog posts here and here.
Why do we accept Asthma with our 'Natural' Gas?
By Brita Lundberg and Carlos A Camargo

Transitioning away from fossil fuels would mean children (and all of us) breathe easier.

Take a Deep breath. And exhale. Most of us don’t think about breathing. But that is not the case for one in eight children in the Commonwealth who have asthma.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, Boston and Springfield are in the top 20 so-called “asthma capitals” in the US. Asthma is one of the most common chronic illnesses among US children
and costs families and society hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Continue reading on PSR PA's blog.
Pediatricians applaud CDC's recommendation on under-5 Covid-19 vaccines

Watch Dr. Ned Ketyer's interview on Pittsburgh Action News 4 here.

Pittsburgh-region pediatricians and hospital systems are preparing to administer Covid-19 vaccines to children between the ages of six months and five years, following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's go-ahead over the weekend.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' approval, which was endorsed by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, means that up to 20 million children under 5 will be able to receive either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. The vaccines are being shipped to pediatric practices, pharmacies, clinics, health departments and federally qualified health centers beginning this week.

"There are a lot of parents who are very happy they can get their kids vaccinated," said Dr. Ned Ketyer, a pediatrician at Allegheny Health Network.

Continue reading on PSR PA's blog.
PSR's Health Report on Hydrogen Blending

Hydrogen blending is being pushed by the fossil fuel industry in many states, but it is a false solution. PSR's health report on hydrogen blending tells you why.

Among its main points:

  • Gas utilities are hyping a blend of hydrogen with methane ("natural" or "fracked") gas to burn in our stoves and furnaces. It's a bad idea: dangerous in the home, bad for the climate.
  • Blending hydrogen with methane perpetuates our use of methane, which is a highly potent greenhouse gas: over 80 times more powerful a heat-trapper than carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in the atmosphere.
  • Hydrogen also means more nitrogen dioxide emissions in our homes, since burning methane emits this harmful gas. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) damages the lungs: it contributes to the development of asthma, can increase asthma symptoms, and increases susceptibility to respiratory infections.

Burning hydrogen in stoves is also an environmental justice issue. Low-income people and Black and Latino people suffer disproportionately from exposure to outdoor air pollution and are more likely to suffer from asthma than white people. Using a polluting stove will raise their exposure to indoor air pollution, delivering a double whammy to their health. Using hydrogen and methane for heating and cooking will perpetuate and deepen existing health inequities.

There is plenty more in the report, continue reading here.
Upcoming PSR PA Events
Climate Emergency Film Club: Permafrost
When: July 21, 6 to 7 PM
Where: Register Now!

Join Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania for the second of five intriguing panel discussions as we delve into the Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops.

Permafrost, an icy expanse of frozen ground covering one-quarter of the Northern Hemisphere, is thawing. As it does, microscopic animals are waking up and feeding on the previously frozen carbon stored in plant and animal remains, releasing heat-trapping gasses as a byproduct. These gasses warm the atmosphere further, melting more permafrost in a dangerous feedback loop. With permafrost containing twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, its thaw could release 150 billion tons of carbon by the end of the century.

Physician CME: this activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Pharmacy CEU: this program is approved for 1 CEU (1 hour). ACPE # 0097-9999-21-023-H04-P. Nurses who attend will receive a certificate for 1 hour at the conclusion of the program. Pharmacy and Nursing credit is only available for individuals with a Pennsylvania license.
Past Events

COP 27: A Regional Response to Climate Action, Health, and Equity Watch Here
Graphic recording of the keynote presentation by Anabell Castro Thompson
Climate Emergency Film Club Part I: Introduction Watch Here

Asthma Awareness Month: Clean Stoves, Healthy Families: How Indoor Air Affects Childhood Asthma Confirmation. Watch Here

PA Health Check-Up: Cooking with Gas: Health Harms from Gas Stoves. Watch Here
Meet PSR PA's New Staff Members
Marie DeMarco joins PSR PA as the Health Educator and Medical Advocacy Coordinator, with a passion to achieve health equity for vulnerable populations. Marie is interested in assessing the health outcomes that are linked to fracking emissions.
Linnea Bond joined PSR PA after contributing to Earth Quaker Action Team's campaigns as an action planner and media coordinator. With an MFA in Performance Creation, she brings a storytelling perspective to advocacy, and her experience teaching elementary through college students informs her desire to educate through both data-driven critical analysis and narrative.
What PSR PA Supports
PSR PA supports a number of actions throughout the year. Below are a few of the recent letters we've signed on to. Please click the titles to see the full letter.
Have questions or suggestions for PSR PA? Email us at info@psrpa.org.