A message from our President
When I left clinical pediatric practice in 2017 to pursue environmental health advocacy, I didn’t think that in just four short years I would become president of PSR Pennsylvania. But here I am!
And there you are, Pennsylvania’s health professionals and environmental health advocates who are eager to see health benefits — for your patients, your loved ones, and yourselves — resulting from clean air, pure water, and a stable climate.
PSR PA continues its work to educate health professionals and students about the very real risks to health posed by fracking and climate change. We seek to end fracking, which can’t be done safely, and push for an immediate and complete transition away from fossil fuels in favor of clean renewable energy solutions to help solve the climate crisis. Our other projects include reducing youth conflict and gun violence in the commonwealth.
We continue to rely on your help to accomplish our mission to promote social responsibility by protecting health, the environment and communities through education, training, direct service, and advocacy.
Please take a moment to make sure we have the proper address for us to send you mailings and emails. If there are any changes to your contact information, please click “Reply” and fill us in.
The best way to follow PSR PA is by visiting our website (psrpa.org), following us on social media (links can be found at the top of the page), and by reading our monthly newsletter that comes to your inbox.
A monetary donation is also appreciated to help us keep our programs running and staying in touch with you. For a recurring monthly donation, we’ll send you a free bamboo utensil set to show your friends that plastic isn’t for you!
We’ve got a lot of work in front of us. Please share this newsletter with your colleagues and friends. We need everyone to get onboard to help health professionals like us address the greatest threats to public health.
Thank you for your support!
Ned Ketyer, M.D., F.A.A.P.
President, PSR Pennsylvania
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PSR PA Comments on EPA Draft Strategic Plan
by Steph Lee, MD and Katherine Crowe, PhD
We applaud the EPA for including children’s environmental health in its goals and strategies, especially the focus on lead poisoning and asthma exacerbations. When it comes to the climate crisis, we must remember how climate change’s effects have a substantial impact on children’s health. Children are not “little adults” and their biology is unique from adults, with greater risk of exposure and susceptibility to harmful effects of pollutants. We encourage the EPA to continue keeping children in mind when considering regulations curbing climate change and to continue following the evidence on the myriad of ways the climate crisis is making children’s health suffer.
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Climate Change is Scaring Kids
by Ned Ketyer, MD
You may be surprised to learn that climate denial isn’t really a thing in the United States anymore. Sure, there are a few people living out there on the fringe of reality who still insist, without displaying any credible, peer-reviewed, scientific evidence whatsoever, that climate change is a hoax propagated by a cabal of pointy-headed “coastal elites” or some such conspiracy theory.
According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, 72% of American adults who were surveyed in 2020 agreed that global warming is happening, and most of them know that human activities — greatest among them, extracting and burning fossil fuels — are to blame. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed said they were worried future generations will suffer harm as a result of climate change. The concern for their kids and grandkids goes so deep that 78% of American adults say that schools should teach children about global warming, according to the poll.
Adults who are still on the fence about accepting the reality of climate change should just ask their kids. They know all about global warming and the climate crisis that isn’t waiting for them to grow up. They are learning about changes in the environment occurring right now — in school when they study science, at home when they turn on the TV to watch extreme weather happening in real time, and when they simply have time and curiosity to explore and ponder the great outdoors. And what they are learning, seeing, hearing, and experiencing is really scaring them.
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Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania (PSR PA) applauds Governor Wolf
Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania (PSR PA) applauds Governor Wolf for his formal order supporting and directing the office of environmental justice. However, we have seen much of the fossil fuel infrastructure beginning with fracking to pipelines to cracker plants which have and will continue to impact disenfranchised communities. We know communities that have suffered from daily air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, and cancer clusters.
In order for the office of environmental justice to be meaningful, they must actively seek out community input and have regulatory authority to stop pollution at its source. In addition, the siting and permitting of fossil fuel infrastructure is frequently placed in the middle of established communities through eminent domain in order to advance private businesses. We believe that this is a violation of homeowner rights. We need wider setbacks consistent with public health studies to ensure that all communities are protected from the known harms of fossil fuel extraction.
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A new investigation by Environmental Health News and The Allegheny Front found alarming evidence that residents in western Pennsylvania (and beyond) are likely suffering worsened mental health due to pollution in the surrounding environment. Reporting also uncovered a growing gap in mental health care as more people are traumatized by worsening climate change.
The 5-part series, which includes news stories, radio segments, and videos, reveals:
- Air pollution causes physical changes to our brains that negatively impact mental health.
- Clairton, Pa., which has some of the most polluted air in the country, is in the worst 25% of U.S. cities for adults experiencing 14 or more days of poor mental health each month.
- High lead levels in regional water—which has mental health impacts for both kids and adults—contributes to the percentage of Pennsylvania children with elevated blood lead levels being more than twice as high as the national rate.
- There’s profound concern and anxiety, especially among many young people, about climate change.
- Mental health experts say the profession has not yet prepared for the onslaught of community trauma related to climate change, and are advocating for new treatment strategies.
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We are a little more than a week away from the biggest day to give back in 2021 - November 30th is #GivingTuesday!
Make sure to save the date and stay tuned for more information. Also follow us on social media for the latest #GivingTuesday updates.
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Cradle to Grave:
The Reverberating Health Hazards of Oil and Gas Industry
PSR PA is excited to share a virtual, half-day conference on a very unconventional gas development. This event will be held on December 10, 2021 from 12:00 - 4:30 p.m. Register here.
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League of Women Voters Presents:
Marcellus Shale
Host Bill Litvin welcomes Dr. Ned Ketyer, Karen Feridun and Senator Katie Muth to discuss the serious impact fracking the Marcellus Shale has had on Pennsylvanians and how much worse circumstances will get if nothing is done to stop the practice.
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PSR PA supports a number of actions throughout the year. Below are recent letters we've signed on to. Please click the title to see the full letter.
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Have questions or suggestions for PSR PA? Email us at info@psrpa.org. |
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Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania |
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