A bit of what we learned from Dr Alan Lockwood’s visit to Montana: 
Billlings Gazette: Coal damages human health
Missoulian: Coal smoke associated with growing list of health hazards, doctor says
Way Cool: The Missoulian provided Dr. Lockwood’s entire slide show presentation. Download, zoom in, check out the informative maps and images.
In a nutshell mining, transporting, and burning coal is REALLY unhealthy for just about everyone on this planet.
Dr Alan H. Lockwood begins his Montana tour today.
Read why three Montana Physicians are glad he is here:
Paul Smith, DO, Missoula, Robert Shepard, MD, Helena, Robert Merchant, MD, Billings
Montana is in the midst of an important conversation about coal. Our state holds significant reserves of this fossil fuel, which over the decades has helped boost Montana’s economy via mining and exports and to power our nation via the coal-fired plants in Colstrip. There’s no question that coal is an important part of Montana’s history.
Yet, we’ve now reached a juncture where we must discuss how coal fits into our future. There’s great interest in mining more of this resource in our state and exporting it overseas. Local communities are concerned about the impact of increased rail traffic as a result. There’s also significant concern about how burning more Montana coal in China and elsewhere will affect our climate.
As physicians, we share these concerns, but also want to address the more immediate effects that the burning of coal has on public health. These hazards are well-documented, but tend not to get the same amount of attention as coal’s impact on the larger environment.
Coal-fired power plants do more than cloud the air; they emit toxic pollution that causes illness and death. Toxins emitted by burning coal worsen asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cause heart attacks and strokes, lung and other cancers, and lead to birth defects…. Read the rest from the Independent.
We’re excited for Dr Alan Lockwood’s Statewide Tour – coming up March 18-21.
Billings — Bozeman — Helena — Missoula.
Come hear The Silent Epidemic: Coal and the Hidden Costs to Health.
See EVENTS for details.
And Georgia Milan, MD, shares her perspectives in the March 13 Missoulian:
End Denial about the Damage Coal does to our Health.
R Flannery Photo
Thanks for your interest in clean air, climate change solutions, and what we can do.
Check out EVENTS and the upcoming Montana Tour by Dr. Alan Lockwood:
The Silent Epidemic – Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health
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