Our student chapter in Philadelphia put down Rock band and rocked it out at World Cafe Live November 16, 2010. Read more »

Federal chemical policy reform is a health imperative. In this Congress, reform bills were introduced in the Senate and the House addressing some of the most overt failures of our federal chemicals management system. Those bills never made it out of committee. Why didn’t these health-protective bills ever come up for a vote? Did Congress just run out of legislative energy and momentum after the healthcare reform marathon, and the debacle of a failed climate and energy bill? Read more »
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On Oct. 17th & 18th, the White House Project, an organization that aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors up to the U.S presidency, organized a 2-day summit on Women & Nuclear Security. I attended on behalf of our security program at PSR. Valerie Plame-Wilson, the ex-CIA agent played by Naomi Watts in the new movie Fair Game, opened the conference with an inspiring keynote speech, making many points relevant to PSR’s work. Read more »

In recent years I have spent a lot of time considering what it is that drives change and in particular, what drives meaningful social and policy change. With the election of Barack Obama many Americans naively thought our country and our world would change overnight, that the policies of the past eight years or longer would be overturned and a new era of progressive thought and action would be initiated. Read more »

Recently I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Devra Davis, a member of PSR’s Environmental Health Policy Institute, speak about her new book, Disconnect: the truth about cell phone radiation, what the industry has done to hide it, and how to protect your family. In addition to learning about the potential health risks of exposure to non-ionizing radiation, I found myself struck with the familiarity of the story, if not the exact content. As cell phones have come into wider and wider use, a vested industry has tirelessly worked to ensure that scientists publish results favorable to its product. Industry attempts to discredit unfavorable results; meanwhile researchers who produce unfavorable results lose their funding, and their jobs. Read more »
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PSR is hosting a series of trainings for Environment and Health Ambassadors against toxic chemicals (link to training page) around the country. Participating chapters include Oregon, Boston, Maine, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington. The ambassador program aims to train physician and public health experts to be advocates for federal chemical reform. Read more »

If you’ve heard about proposed reforms of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), you may have also heard about a set of recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the nation’s top scientific experts, for assessing chemical safety. Health professionals, environmental groups, and scientific researchers, as well as local community groups around the country, affirm that incorporating the NAS recommendations into TSCA reform is an important step in crafting a chemicals management system that effectively protects human health. In today’s post, I try to explain why we’ve all been talking about this wonky NAS report. Read more »

Sometimes, telling the truth brings applause. That was PSR's experience when we testified before the EPA about the serious dangers to health from coal ash. Read more »

With the 19th IPPNW conference coming to a close, I hope that everyone will consider attending the 2012 20th conference which will be held in Hiroshima, Japan. In addition to allowing one to meet fascinating like minded people from around the world, there is a wealth of information which is both useful and serves to inspire one to return home with renewed energy. Read more »
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As we are nearing the end of the 19th IPPNW World Congress, I cannot help but reflect on all that has been discussed here in Basel. There are several plenaries and workshops that standout in my mind and inspire me to stay involved in PSR/IPPNW’s work. On Friday, during the plenary on violence prevention we heard from Ms. Kidist Bartolomeos from the WHO Department of Violence and Injury Prevention. After giving a brief overview of the issue of small arms violence worldwide, she proposed four “best buys” for decreasing the consequences of violence. Read more »
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The banquet at end of a very long first day of the 19th Annual IPPNW World Congress and was held in the hall of the Safran Zunft (Saffron Guild) the 13th century Guild of Apothecaries in Basel. The evening was time for good food, fellowship, and introspection. A series of toasts were given, none more poignant that of Ulrich Gottstein, WW II German veteran and long time IPPNW activist. While he was frail, his message was strong. Read more »

Some initial thoughts upon arriving at the first official day of the 19th IPPNW World Congress in Basel, Switzerland… Due to poor time planning, I arrived later than usual and I unfortunately was unable to participate in the International Council meeting and the Student Congress. It was nice to hear from Ira, Ashish and Peter, though! It is a rainy morning here in Basel, and it would normally be the wee hours of the morning back in New York, so I am functioning on the adrenalin of seeing so many old friends. It is truly wonderful to see everyone here. You realize that this is a big family all working for our planet. Read more »

The morning starts early with a Plenary entitled “Uranium and Environment.” The first presenter discusses nuclear medicine. Primarily, he focuses on the fact that traditionally nuclear medicine has used the same type of Uranium that is necessary for building a nuclear weapon (the so-called Highly Enriched Uranium, or HEU). However, he explains that recently, thanks to pressure from groups like PSR/IPPNW, most medical facilities around the world have switched to the non-weapons grade Uranium (LEU), without any deficit in patient care. Read more »

The morning starts early with a Plenary entitled “Uranium and Environment.” The first presenter discusses nuclear medicine. Primarily, he focuses on the fact that traditionally nuclear medicine has used the same type of Uranium that is necessary for building a nuclear weapon (the so-called Highly Enriched Uranium, or HEU). However, he explains that recently, thanks to pressure from groups like PSR/IPPNW, most medical facilities around the world have switched to the non-weapons grade Uranium (LEU), without any deficit in patient care. Read more »

I am just arriving in Switzerland, a stunningly beautiful country, travelling from the Zurich airport through well manicured countryside to the site of the 19th World Congress of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) in Basel. The Swiss rail system is well organized; the train ride is smooth and fast. I am confident the Congress, the first plenary session of which begins tomorrow, will be equally well organized. All indications are for the largest attendance in many years. It will be wonderful to gather there with colleagues from around the world. Read more »
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After 18 hours of travel (and some lost luggage), I have arrived in Basel, Switzerland. The beauty of this city is breathtaking, and the people could not be more gracious. You find yourself constantly walking through the streets, taking in all the amazing sights, sounds, and smells of the city; as you might imagine, with all the distractions, it takes me a while to find myself to the conference site. Read more »

The first day of the World Congress in Basel begins with a palpable energy in the room. The first two days are devoted to the students and workshops oriented around building their capacity to be leaders when they return to their home countries. Some had been at the last World Congress in Delhi and greet fellow student activists that they had not seen in two years. Many, new to this conference, start meeting students around the room to begin their first introduction to the international nuclear disarmament community. Over 700 people registered for this week's conference; one of the largest in recent history. The organizers ask everyone to find their seat. The 19th IPPNW World Congress is about to begin. Read more »

After 18 hours of travel (and some lost luggage), I have arrived in Basel, Switzerland. The beauty of this city is breathtaking, and the people could not be more gracious. You find yourself constantly walking through the streets, taking in all the amazing sights, sounds, and smells of the city; as you might imagine, with all the distractions, it takes me a while to find myself to the conference site. Read more »

The 19th IPPNW World Congress got off to an energetic start this afternoon with the arrival here in Basel of the BAN (Biking Against Nukes) student bike tour. More than 30 medical students from every continent except Antarctica arrived in the Marktplatz in front of the Basel City Hall at exactly 5:30 pm--this is Switzerland--after a 700 kilometer trip that started in Dusseldorf 10 days ago. Read more »

Following Senator Lautenberg’s introduction of the Safe Chemicals Act in April, House Representatives Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) and Henry Waxman (D-CA) introduced the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act 2010, H.R. 5820, a bill that updates the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Read more »