Does it matter if we use fossil fuels?

For 38 years I practiced family medicine in a community that was only a few miles from two different oil refineries. A variety of patients were concerned about possible health problems related to their exposure to air and water pollution from these refineries. I had been aware of some research regarding these adverse effects.

But I just read the report Fueling Sickness: The Hidden Health Costs of Fossil Fuel Pollution published by PSR- Physicians for Social Responsibility (website psr.org).

This report cites credible research for every statement that it makes regarding the connection between fossil fuel use and the health of people in our country.

I was astounded by the strong research evidence that has accumulated in the last 25 years.

The following are direct statements taken from this free publicly available report:

1) Air pollution from fossil fuels kills hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. and millions worldwide every year.

2) Globally, studies estimate that fossil fuel pollution is responsible for between 5 and 8 million deaths each year - including an estimated 350,000 premature deaths in the U.S. alone.

3) Each stage of the fossil fuel life cycle – extraction, processing, transportation, combustion and waste - creates significant health harms. Emissions from oil and gas use in the U.S. alone are estimated to cause more than 216,000 cases of childhood asthma and 10,000 preterm births each year.

4) Air pollution from oil and gas production (e.g. drilling and fracking) in one year alone resulted in 410,000 asthma flare-ups, 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma and 7,500 excess deaths.

5)Everyone in the U.S. is exposed to PM2.5 and at risk of its harmful effects, which accumulate over time. There is no safe threshold of exposure, meaning even low levels of exposure are associated with health risks.

6) Fossil fuels significantly increase the risk for cardiovascular diseases – heart attacks, strokes and heart failure - which are leading causes of death both in the U.S. and globally. Of the millions of deaths attributable to fossil fuel pollution, the greatest proportion are due to cardiovascular diseases.

7) Long-term exposure to polluted air has also been linked to dementia and cognitive decline.

8) Another report documented that women living near coal and oil power plants had a lower rate of preterm births aft­er the plants were closed.

9) Studies have consistently demonstrated significant associations between levels of PM2.5 in the air and risks of obesity, Type 2 diabetes (and diabetes-associated mortality) and high blood pressure.

10)Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. It is estimated that approximately 15% of lung cancer worldwide is due to air pollution. The International Agency on Research on Cancer (IARC) has found PM2.5 and diesel exhaust are proven to cause cancer, damaging and mutating lung cells.

11) Human activities are the cause of increased greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, and burning fossil fuels is the single largest driver of climate change. Health professionals and scientists around the world agree that climate change is the biggest health threat of this century.

The most powerful health protection strategy is to reduce climate pollution by transitioning away from fossil fuels.

12) Fossil fuels harm nearly every system of the body across the human life cycle both in the U.S. and worldwide. Fossil fuels are also the leading driver of climate change, which the healthcare community recognizes as the greatest health challenge of this century.

The entire report has cited over 100 studies published in the last 25 years to back up the integrity and accuracy of these and all the statements in the report.

The report encourages the following action items:

Recommendations for Policymakers

• Transition rapidly from fossil fuels to clean, non-polluting energy and transportation.

• Protect communities from exposure to fossil fuel pollution by protecting, enforcing and strengthening clean air and water standards.

• Implement a public health campaign to educate the public about the health harms of fossil fuel pollution, even at low, everyday levels of exposure.

• Hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its health harms.

• Invest in public health systems, healthcare infrastructure, research and innovation to protect and promote health and accelerate clean technology progress.

The costs of inaction are measured in illness, lives lost and mounting healthcare burdens. The benefits of a clean energy transition are measured in healthier communities and a safer future for our children and grandchildren. Protecting health demands nothing less than urgent action.

The following is my personal commentary:

If we want to make America healthy again, it looks like we need to phase out fossil fuel use very quickly.

With leadership at the federal, state, and local level, it is possible to do this.