DOCTORS AND COAL PLANTS

This past week's Elmira Independent has a story titled "Doctors seek closure of Ontario's coal plants". For decades I have bemoaned priveleged professionals and elites who did not use their knowledge and status to push for public health benefits. To my great joy both national and provincial medical bodies have indeed been going this route for some time now. The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment is one such group. Their newspaper ads throughout Ontario against coal generated electricity are an example. Coal contributes to smog, acid rain and contains heavy metals. Many respiratory diseases are exacerbated by the use of coal fired generators.