Dr. Jeffrey Patterson, national president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, says considering safer alternatives are available, this is not the time to revive the nuclear industry.

On the 10th anniversary of the Seattle globalization protests, today's actions also took place on the heels of a new study by the Physicians for Social Responsibility that coal "contributes to four of the top five causes of mortality in the U.S. and is responsible for increasing the incidence of major diseases already affecting large portions of the U.S. population."

So you thought smoking cigarettes was bad for your health? Try living next to a coal-fired power plant. That’s the diagnosis Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) relayed to the public in a comprehensive medical study released on November 18, called Coal’s Assault on Human Health. In it, the organization, comprised of physicians and public health experts, claims that coal pollutants damage every major organ in the human body and contributes to four of the top five leading causes of death in the United States.

An op-ed by Dr. Gwen DuBois of Baltimore PSR on the dangers of nuclear power plants.

Dr. Alan Lockwood, the lead author of PSR's new report "Coal's Assault on Human Health", discusses the health impacts of coal pollution.

Global warming may not be the only good reason to get away from burning coal for energy generation. According to a new report from Physicians for Social Responsibility, coal has deadly effects on human health. By studying the impact of coal pollution on major human organ systems, researchers concluded that the energy source contributes to four of the nation's top five causes of death.

Physicians for Social Responsibility is another group calling for tougher regulations on existing coal-fired power plants, said Dr. Maureen McCue of Iowa City, who is active with that group. “The health impacts of coal are direct, measurable, serious and significant,” she said.

Pediatrician and PSR member Dr. Karen Lewis discusses the health dangers of new coal plants.

An article discussing PSR's recent report on the dangers of coal, Coal's Assault on Human Health.

A group of doctors, Physicians for Social Responsibility, has issued a new report called "Coal's Assault On Human Health." It explains the health impacts of burning coal, but it goes beyond that. Lester Graham caught up with the principle author of the report - Dr. Alan Lockwood. Lockwood is a professor of neurology and nuclear medicine at the University of Buffalo. He says their report also looked at the possible health effects of climate change.

A Sierra Club spokesman says his organization will use new study results from Physicians for Social Responsibility to push for a coal-free state of Washington. On Wednesday, the physicians' group released a report, "Coal's Assault on Human Health." It states that any site where coal is mined or burned to make electricity compromises human health with air pollution.

Coal pollutants affect all major body organ systems and contribute to four of the five leading causes of mortality in the United States: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases, concludes a scathing report issued today by Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Coal pollution is assaulting human health through impacts on workers, residents near mining operations and power plants, and the environment in coalfield communities, according to a new report by a group of physicians.

Former PSR Executive Director Dr. Bob Musil on President Obama's environmental policies.

An op-ed on Afghanistan by Dr. Robert Dodge, a board member of PSR Los Angeles.

An op-ed coauthored by Maye Thompson, RN, environmental health program director for Oregon PSR, on the health risks of bisphenol A.

Nurse Roxanne Chan discusses her participation in PSR's Hazardous Chemicals in Health Care study.

Western North Carolina PSR President Dr. Lew Patrie and PSR member Dr. Richard Fireman are quoted on the health impacts of coal-fired power plants.

A letter to the editor from PSR member Jerry Abajian on President Obama's Nobel Peace prize.

The swirling controversy over President Barack Obama's receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize brings to mind another controversy that began in October 1985, when the Norwegian committee announced that that year's prize would go to International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).