By Fran Strege, RN

Anderson resident

Pollution causes terrible human misery, devastating health concerns and has been directly linked to global warming. Cleaning up the environment is the right thing to do. Those who argue that the United States should not forge ahead in the fight against global warming unless China, India and other industrialized nations follow suit might consider a few sobering facts. (1) Coal-fired power plants generate over 131 million tons of coal ash per year which poisons streams and ground water. Coal ash is the waste product left over from burning coal. It contains several dangerous toxins like arsenic, lead and mercury. These heavy metals can create havoc with the immune system and can cause devastating health problems. Unfortunately, no federal regulations exist to control these toxic wastes. Residents who live near coal ash sites face a 1-50 chance of cancer. Drinking water within a mile of a coal ash pond is far more likely to give you cancer than smoking cigarettes.

(2) A small community in southwestern Indiana in combination with western Kentucky constitutes the largest concentration of coal power in the world. Industries in southwestern Indiana emit a full one-third more toxins then all the industries in Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Diego combined. Sadly, Gov. Mitch Daniels wants to build more coal power plants in this area. Keep in mind each day 46 children are diagnosed with cancer. One in 91 children are diagnosed with autism and asthma affects 12-15 million Americans.

(3) Indianapolis ranks 99th out of 100 among metropolitan areas in carbon emissions in large part due to limited availability of public transportation. Airborne toxins generated by automobiles have been linked to asthma, cancer, heart disease and autoimmune disorders.

(4) The potent neurotoxin mercury is found in virtually all fish nationwide. The main source is coal-fired power plants. Rain and snow that falls near these plants is laced with some of the highest concentrations of mercury in the nation. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children should avoid eating several varieties of fish. Some studies show a connections between exposure to heavy metals and ADHD, decreased IQ and autism.

(5) The EPA reports that British Petroleum (BP) discharged 16 times the allowable amount of a cancer causing chemical (benzene) from its oil refinery along Lake Michigan. Studies indicate a connections between chronic exposure to benzene and blood born cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children under age 20. The BP violation presents a serious threat to public health.

Even if you don’t believe in the science behind global warming surely you could support cleaning up the environment to prevent widespread suffering and disease. During the summer Olympics the air quality was so poor in Beijing, China, that officials where concerned about the health of the Olympic athletes and international visitors so factories were temporarily shut down to clear the air. Sadly, China, India and other emerging economic powers may choose to continue to pollute the environment, sicken their citizens and contribute to global warming but that doesn’t make it right. The U.S. needs to lead the way to a cleaner, greener, healthier future. Science tells us that the earth’s atmosphere cannot maintain life as we know it with CO2 levels greater than 350 ppm. We are now at about 390 ppm. We need to reverse this trend. Leadership must begin with our elected officials.

I want to turn on the light switch and know that people are not suffering so that I can enjoy the comforts that electricity provides. I want to be able to drive my car and know that people are not suffering with dreaded diseases because petroleum companies polluted our waterways.

It makes sense to discontinue the use of energy sources that pollute, cause disease and contribute to global warming. It makes perfect sense to build clean non-polluting sources of energy like wind farms, create biofuels and increase the use of solar. A strong Energy and Jobs Bill is a good step in the right direction. Please call Sens. Lugar and Bayh and Rep. Pence and encourage their support of the Clean Energy Bill. The Capital switchboard phone number is (202) 224-3121.