http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/ The Active Conscience Of American Medicine en http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2009/01/26/author-aaron-glantz-coming-to-sf-and-oakland-to-discuss-his-new-bookthe-war-comes-home-washingtons-battle-against-americas-veterans.html The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans Aaron Glantz, unembeded journalist, broadcaster from Winter Soldier: Iraq as well as Afghanistan has just come out with his new book. The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle against America’s Veterans is the first book to systematically document the U.S. government’s neglect of soldiers returning from Iraq as well as Afghanistan. Aaron Glantz, who reported extensively from Iraq during the first three years of this war as well as has been reporting on the plight of veterans ever since, levels a devastating indictment against the Bush administration on behalf of its bald neglect of soldiers as well as its disingenuous reneging on their benefits. The book also supplies the reader with extensive, easy-to-use resource information on behalf of those who require help now, not when policy has changed. - - - - - - - - — - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - — - City Lights Bookstore presents Aaron Glantz Wednesday, January 28th @ 7 PM Columbus & Broadway, San Francisco — Saturday, January 31, 2009, 8:00 PM First Congregational Church of Oakland 2501 Harrison Street, Oakland “The War Comes Home” With Aaron Glantz as well as Norman Solomon Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans With San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar + US Army vet Walter Williams Tickets: $12 advance, $15 door, www.brownpapertickets.com/event/52728 or at supporting bookstores Benefits KPFA Radio Info: 510.848-6767X611 Aaron’s Schedule so far  Online calendar with additional > information http://calendar.yahoo.com/aaronfglantz        http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2009/01/26/author-aaron-glantz-coming-to-sf-and-oakland-to-discuss-his-new-bookthe-war-comes-home-washingtons-battle-against-americas-veterans.html Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:04:32 -0500 wilsonbet15 http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2009/01/07/sfpsr-steering-committee-member-dr-sarah-janssen-cited-in-article-on-hormonedisrupting-chemicals.html Panel: EPA must consider effects of chemical barrage By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY Chemicals that interfere with the male hormone system are so common — as well as so potentially damaging — that the government should stop studying them one by one as well as consider their combined effect, an expert panel said Thursday. Phthalates as well as other hormone-disrupting chemicals pollute the air, water as well as dust as well as are found in hundreds of consumer products — including bug spray, perfume, pesticides, shower curtains, food containers, as well as plastic toys, according to a report released today from the National Research Council, which advises the government on science policy. Studies from the Centers on behalf of Disease Control as well as Prevention as well as independent scientists have found phthalates in virtually everyone, including pregnant women as well as babies. The Environmental Protection Agency typically studies the impact of these as well as other chemicals individually. But that approach may underestimate the effect of being exposed to numerous different chemicals with similar effects, says the University of Rochester School of Medicine as well as Dentistry’s Deborah Cory-Slechta, chairwoman of the committee that wrote the report. The best way to protect people — especially infants as well as fetuses, whose reproductive systems are still developing — is to measure the cumulative impact of this hormonal barrage, Cory-Slechta says. In fact, she says that the EPA should at all times consider cumulative effects — not just on behalf of hormone disruptors, but on behalf of all potential toxins. That shall permit the EPA to figure out the maximum level to which humans can safely be exposed as well as create regulations to protect Americans from exposures that could be harmful, says Sarah Janssen of the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. Janssen says she hopes that other government agencies — such as the Food as well as Drug Administration as well as the Consumer Product Safety Commission — shall also consider the cumulative effect of hormone disruptors in food additives, medical equipment, toys as well as other products. “We’re exposed to a complex soup of chemicals,” Janssen says. “It’s a warning we can’t ignore.” There’s sufficient evidence to start that assessment right away, instead of waiting until additional studies are finished, Cory-Slechta says. Although the report focused primarily on phthalates, Cory-Slechta note that other products, such as pesticides used in food, also lower testosterone levels. Animal as well as human studies link all of these chemicals to a wide spectrum of problems, from reduced sperm counts to genital malformations. Scientists are also studying the chemicals’ link to testicular cancer as well as other problems, the report says. Although an estimated all of the research has been done in animals, there’s no reason to think that the substances wouldn’t affect humans the same way, says report co-author Paul Foster, of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. But the American Chemistry Council, an industry group, says that considering the risks of so numerous chemicals that affect male hormones would be “remarkably ambitious” — as well as maybe impossible. “This essentially could result in a study without limits, financially or otherwise,” says the council’s Chris Bryant in a statement. Lawmakers as well as business around the world already have taken steps to restriction phthalate exposure. The European Union has restricted phthalates in cosmetics as well as children’s toys. A growing number of hospitals are phasing out phthalates in neonatal intensive care units, hoping to protect premature as well as sickly newborn boys. Congress last summer passed a prohibit banning several phthalates in children’s products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has said that it shall permit stores to continue selling toys made with phthalates, as long as they were manufactured before the law takes effect Feb. 10th.        http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2009/01/07/sfpsr-steering-committee-member-dr-sarah-janssen-cited-in-article-on-hormonedisrupting-chemicals.html Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:42:28 -0500 wilsonbet15 http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/12/15/drs-gina-solomon-and-sarah-janssen-of-sfpsr-to-teach-environment-and-health-course-at-ucsf-auditors-welcome.html Environment as well as Health Winter 2009; Wednesdays 5:00-7:00 PM Room: Toland Hall (UC Hall, Room U-142, UCSF Parnassus) 1 unit (5 sessions) through M170C Department of Medicine OR 2 units (10 sessions) through N248 School of Nursing Auditors Welcome Faculty of Record: Gina Solomon, MD, MPH, Division of Occupational as well as Environmental Medicine gina.solomon@ucsf.edu Barbara Burgel, RN, PhD, FAAN, Occupational as well as Environmental Health Nursing Program: Barbara.burgel@nursing.ucsf.edu or Grading:  Pass/Fail Course Description: This interdisciplinary course shall introduce a broad range of environmental health topics affecting health status. Exposure assessment, risk communication, prevention strategies, as well as environmental health policies shall be covered with special attention to childbearing families, children as well as communities at risk on behalf of environmental injustice. Directed readings in environmental health as well as critical thinking skills are emphasized. Objectives: 1)    Explore the environmental factors that potentially adversely affect the health of people in the community, home, as well as work environments. 2)    Determine the chemical as well as biological mechanisms involved in environmental exposures, leading to adverse health outcomes. 3)    Recognize adverse health effects due to environmental exposures through a comprehensive environmental health history. 4)    Identify populations at risk on behalf of environmental exposures, including childbearing families, children, as well as communities at risk on behalf of environmental injustice. 5)    Outline strategies to mitigate environmental exposure on behalf of individuals as well as communities. 6)    Analyze public policies, including standards as well as regulations, which serve to safeguard the health of individuals as well as communities from environmental exposures. Recommended readins shall be provided on behalf of each week, as well as posted on the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE) Course Website Student Expectations: 1.    Active engagement in environmental health topics, to include completion of course assignments/readings prior to class, active debate as well as dialogue, as well as application of content, when applicable, in clinical work. 2.    Sign in to each class session. 3.    Register on CLE to gain access to readings, case studies, etc. 4.    For those taking 1 unit course:  attendance of five sessions of your choice; 5.    For those taking 2 unit course:  complete an annotated bibliography of 5 articles on an environmental topic of your choice.  Focus on exposure definition, how exposure was measured, sensitivity of outcome as well as how measured, as well as how study results, if significant could be used on behalf of environmental policy.  Due no later than March 11, 2009 to Barbara Burgel. 6.    Optional Tour at end of quarter—space limited, sign up required. Schedule January 7, 2009:      Course Introduction:  Environmental Health from Global to Local Scope of the problem /Current challenges as well as solutions Understanding toxicology as well as risk assessment Taking an Environmental Health History Case Studies [Faculty: Burgel, Solomon] January 14, 2009:    Overview of Environmental Health as well as Pediatrics Risks to children, pregnant women, as well as other vulnerable groups Pediatric Toolkit on behalf of EH Issues [Faculty: Miller, Janssen, Duderstadt] January 21, 2009:    Exposure Assessment Challenges of exposure assessment Biologic monitoring —how to evaluate/interpret results CDC as well as California biomonitoring programs Risk communication challenges [Faculty: Solomon, Roisman] January 28, 2009:     Global Occupational as well as Environmental Health Climate Change International occupational health [Faculty: Smith, LaDou] February 4, 2009:     International EH case studies: Water quality in Chile Air quality in Guatemala [Faculty: Steinmaus, Thompson] February 11, 2009:        California Air Quality: Policy as well as Regulatory Challenges [Faculty: Balmes] February 18, 2009        California Health as well as Policy Challenges as well as Victories Endocrine disrupting chemicals in toys Cosmetics, flame retardants, etc. [Faculty: Janssen, Rizzo] February 25, 2009      Local: Mercury in fish – Health risks as well as education needs. [Faculty: Segovia-Bain, Ablog, Solomon] March 4, 2009:     Local: Indoor Air Quality Tools on behalf of Schools [Faculty: Chan, Miller] March 11, 2009:     Preparing on behalf of climate modification in the Bay Area Sea level rise, heat waves, storms, infectious disease What health care providers can do [Faculty: Solomon, Duderstadt] Gina M. Solomon, M.D., M.P.H. is an associate clinical professor in the division of occupational as well as environmental medicine at UCSF as well as the associate director of the UCSF Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. She is a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a national nonprofit environmental advocacy organization. She is also Vice-President of San Francisco Bay Area Physicians on behalf of Social Responsibility. Dr. Solomon was involved in the environmental health assessment of New Orleans at the end of Katrina. Barbara Burgel, R.N., ANP, PhD, FAAN is a clinical professor in the Department of Community Health Systems at UCSF, in occupational as well as environmental health nursing. She was co-founder of the Community Occupational Health Project, focusing on low-wage worker health as well as safety in Alameda County, an initiative funded by the California Wellness Foundation from 2000-2006. Sarah Janssen, M.D., Ph.D. is an assistant clinical professor in the division of occupational as well as environmental medicine at UCSF as well as a science fellow at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Dr. Janssen is also a reproductive biologist with expertise in the topic of endocrine disruption. Mark Miller, M.D., M.P.H. is an assistant clinical professor in the division of occupational as well as environmental medicine at UCSF as well as is the director of the UCSF Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. He is also a scientist at the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Karen Duderstadt, RN, PNP, PhD is a clinical professor in family health care nursing department at UCSF, in the advanced practice pediatric nursing.  Dr. Duderstadt has interests in pediatric environmental health as well as adverse health effects from climate change, amongst other topics. Rachel Roisman, MD is a public health medical officer with the California Environmental Protection Agency, as well as is currently a member of the California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program. Joe Ladou, MD, is a professor emeritus from UCSF, who has been director of the International Center on behalf of Occupational Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco since 1992.  Dr. LaDou’s study of the global migration of hazardous industries has led to efforts to control occupational as well as environmental hazards. Dr. LaDou is the editor of Current Occupational as well as Environmental Medicine, currently in its 4th edition. Kirk Smith, PhD is professor of global environmental health at UC Berkeley, is chair of the graduate group in environmental health sciences, as well as coordinator of the graduate program in health, environment as well as development in the School of Public Health.  Dr. Smith serves on a number of national as well as international scientific advisory as well as editorial boards including the Executive Committees on behalf of the Global Energy Assessment as well as the Global Air Quality Guidelines. Craig Stienmaus, MD, MPH is assistant adjunct professor at UC Berkeley school of public health, with research focused on arsenic in drinking water as well as perchlorate. Lisa Thompson, RN, FNP, PhD is assistant professor in family health care nursing department at UCSF, in the family nurse practitioner program.  Dr. Thompson brings her expertise exploring adverse health effects in children from indoor air pollution arising from cookstoves in homes in Guatemala. John Balmes, MD, MPH is professor at UCSF division of occupational as well as environmental medicine, as well as the school of public health at UC Berkeley. Dr. Balmes is the Director of the Northern California Center on behalf of Occupational as well as Environmental Health, as well as a recent appointee to the California Air Resources Board. Rossana Segovia-Bain. RN, MS, OHNP is assistant clinical professor in the department of community health systems, in the occupational as well as environmental health nursing program.  Rossana is providing technical support to the Safe Fishing Project, in collaboration with Literacy on behalf of Environmental Justice(LEJ), in the Bayview-Hunter’s Point neighborhood of San Francisco. Jeanne Rizzo, RN, is executive director on behalf of the Breast Cancer Prevention Fund, which focuses on identifying the environmental causes of breast cancer as well as preventing the disease.  BCPF has two prominent campaigns to remove pthalates in children’s toys, as well as to remove carcinogens in personal care products, specifically cosmetics. Myla Ablog is the ecologist with LEJ, coordinating the Safe Fishing Project, amongst other environmental as well as ecologic projects. Jackie Chan, MPH is an industrial hygienist working with the San Francisco Unified School District on indoor air quality.        http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/12/15/drs-gina-solomon-and-sarah-janssen-of-sfpsr-to-teach-environment-and-health-course-at-ucsf-auditors-welcome.html Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:58:06 -0500 wilsonbet15 http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/12/10/public-health-expert-dr-dick-jackson-to-speak-at-dec-15th-sfpsr-eventplease-join-us.html SF Bay Area Physicians For Social Responsibility December Event Join Us Monday December 15th at 6:30 PM -Hear a talk by UCLA Professor as well as public health expert Dr. Dick Jackson -Meet SF PSR Staff as well as Steering Committee -Mingle with other PSR Members -Hear about our chapter activities as well as how to get involved Where: At the residence (1515 16th Ave., SF) of Steering Committee Member Tom Hall (Directions Below) When: December 15th 6:30-7:30 Eat, Meet as well as Greet (a light buffet supper shall be served) 7:30-8:30 –Dr. Dick Jackson-Professor as well as Chair Dept. of Environmental Health Sciences-UCLA School of Public Health-Converging Crises in Environmental as well as Public Health –Dr. Robert Gould SF PSR President-Chapter Overview Please RSVP by contacting Executive Director Evan Krasner at evanpsr@gmail.com or 510-845-8395 This is a free event on behalf of our members. Donations are at all times welcome, so take a checkbook if you are so inclined. Directions To Tom Hall’s House From UCSF: west on Parnassus to 7th Ave., left/south two blocks to Lawton, right/west to the left-turning curve onto 16th Ave; From San Francisco/East Bay, west on Lincoln (on south side of GG Park), left on Funston (first traffic light west of 9th Ave traffic light), up hill 4 blocks as well as then right on Lawton on behalf of 0.2 mile until you reach the left-turning curve with 16th Ave; From the south, via I-280 as well as 19th Ave., turn right/east on Lawton up 3 short blocks to 16th Ave., left at the “T” on behalf of one block to the curve. From the north, via GG Bridge, go south through the GG Park, four blocks at the end of exiting the Park turn right on Kirkham on behalf of one block, left on 20th Ave., left on Lawton as well as cross 19th Ave, go up a steep hill on behalf of three 3 short blocks to 16th Ave., left at the “T” on behalf of one block to the curve. — Note: 16th Ave. is discontinuous (except by 148 stair steps) due to a steep hill. Our house would be better numbered as 980 Lawton St., where Lawton meets 16th Ave. at the curve. Don’t park on the curve; Muni buses swing wide as well as it is illegal. Parking is usually easy within a block of our house.        http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/12/10/public-health-expert-dr-dick-jackson-to-speak-at-dec-15th-sfpsr-eventplease-join-us.html Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:48:01 -0500 wilsonbet15 http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/11/05/sfpsr-steering-committee-member-dr-thomas-newman-publishes-book-review-in-new-england-journal-of-medicine.html From New England Journal Of Medicine 10/23/2008 Issue Prescription on behalf of Survival: A Doctor’s Journey to End Nuclear Madness By Bernard Lown. 436 pp., illustrated. San Francisco, Berrett–Koehler, 2008. $35. ISBN 978-1-57675-482-5. In Prescription on behalf of Survival, Bernard Lown tells the remarkable story of how he as well as Eugene Chazov, cardiologists whose countries were on opposite sides of the Cold War, created as well as nurtured the organization International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) from its inception in 1980 through its receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. The writing is crisp and the detail remarkable — Lown takes us through dozens of trips, conferences, as well as meetings, giving accounts of who said what, noting sources, and explaining how conflicts were resolved. Lown’s training as a scientist is evident from his frequent citations of specific albums from his personal archives, which permitted him to reconstruct the exciting story in extraordinary detail. This is not an autobiography but the story of the formation of an organization. Thus, it is not until midway through the book that Lown explains why, as a world-famous cardiologist as well as inventor of a cardiac defibrillator, his academic appointment was at the Harvard School of Public Health instead of Harvard Medical School. (After he refused to sign a loyalty oath during the McCarthy era, the medical school refused him employment.) The Cold War ended an estimated 20 years ago, which makes it easy to forget how thoroughly ingrained in the American psyche was distrust of the Soviet Union. As Lown puts it, “For Americans raised during the Cold War years the words Soviet and propaganda went combined like hamburger and ketchup.” Opposition to the fledgling IPPNW came from some who labeled it a communist front and others who feared that the idealistic physicians who were its members were unwittingly being used by the communists. These sentiments were magnified, rather than quieted, when the IPPNW received the Nobel Peace Prize. The Wall Street Journal published an editorial titled “The Nobel Peace Fraud,” which began, “The Nobel Peace Prize hit a new low.” The New York Daily News headline was “Soviet Propaganda Wins the Prize.” The San Diego Union labeled it “A Tarnished Prize.” West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl issued an appeal to the Nobel Committee to rescind the prize. Today the Cold War is over, but the challenge of organizing against nuclear weapons remains relevant. It is not easy to focus on a single issue, even one as important as nuclear weapons, when other difficulties as well as outrages are begging on behalf of attention. Physicians on behalf of Social Responsibility (PSR) struggles to stay focused on nuclear disarmament when the United States has launched one war of aggression as well as is threatening to start another. However, the more issues an organization takes on, the more disagreements are likely over priorities and strategies. The numerous meetings and discussions that are detailed in this memoir convincingly illustrate how difficult it is on behalf of likeminded, good people to agree on how to keep working combined in spite of their disagreements. The an estimated all important message I was left with after reading this book is this: the struggle against nuclear weapons was so much harder then. Lown, his colleagues in the IPPNW as well as PSR, and other activists have done an estimated all of the heavy lifting. Around the world, citizens as well as their leaders now know that a nuclear war would not be survivable, and the vast majority of people support the global elimination of nuclear weapons. Even former “cold warriors” such as George Schultz and Henry Kissinger have referred to as on behalf of a world free of nuclear weapons. And yet, in 2008, the United States as well as Russia still maintain thousands of nuclear weapons on hair-trigger alert. As Lown puts it, “Responsible governments were holding entire nations hostage with a suspended sentence of mass murder. . . . By acquiescing to such policies we were engaging in the an estimated all abysmal collective failure of social responsibility. . . . Where was the unrelenting outcry against nuclearism from academic as well as religious leaders? Where were the voices of moral outrage?” These questions are even more relevant today, since the administration of President George W. Bush has expanded the strategic role of nuclear weapons from one of deterrence to include possible preemptive use. As physicians in the 21st century, we have the responsibility to contribute to one of the an estimated all important goals in history: the global elimination of nuclear weapons. In Prescription for Survival, Lown encourages us to help finish the job he as well as his colleagues at the IPPNW and PSR so capably started — before it is too late. Thomas B. Newman, M.D., M.P.H. University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA 94143        http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/11/05/sfpsr-steering-committee-member-dr-thomas-newman-publishes-book-review-in-new-england-journal-of-medicine.html Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:30:57 -0500 wilsonbet15 http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/10/21/sf-psr-president-dr-robert-gould-and-vice-president-dr-jeff-ritterman-to-lecture-at-ucsf-mini-medical-school-for-the-public.html Mini Medical School on behalf of the Public FALL 2008 Thursday evenings, October 16 – December 4 7:00 to 8:45 p.m., 513 Parnassus Avenue For full catalog as well as details: www.minimedicalschool.ucsf.edu Mini Medical School on behalf of the Public UCSF Osher Center on behalf of Integrative Medicine presents: October 30 Public Health Impacts of US Foreign as well as Military Policy Robert M. Gould, MD President, SF-Bay Area Chapter, Physicians on behalf of Social Responsibility; Associate Pathologist, San Jose Kaiser November 13 Human Rights in the Age of Environmental Devastation and Climate Chaos Jeffrey B. Ritterman, MD Senior Physician, Kaiser Permanente Richmond; Chief, Division of Cardiology Mini Medical School on behalf of the Public 3333 California Street Suite 450, Box 0742 San Francisco, CA 94143-0742        http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/10/21/sf-psr-president-dr-robert-gould-and-vice-president-dr-jeff-ritterman-to-lecture-at-ucsf-mini-medical-school-for-the-public.html Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:50:23 -0400 wilsonbet15 http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/10/19/sf-bay-psr-steering-committee-member-dr-sarah-janssen-to-speak-at-food-as-medicine-event-wed-1122.html Food as Medicine: Health as well as Food Safety MLF: Bay Gourmet Location: Ferry Building Port Commission Hearing Room on the 2nd Floor of the Ferry Building Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program Cost: $8 Club/CAFF/Slow Food members, $15 non-members Program Organizer: Cathy Curtis Also know: In association with the Community Alliance on behalf of Family Farmers (CAFF) Rebecca Spector, West Coast Director, Center on behalf of Food Safety Leslie Mikkelson, Managing Director, Prevention Institute Judith Redmond, Farmer as well as Co-owner, Fully Belly Farm/Community Alliance with Family Farmers Sarah Janssen, Natural Resources Defense Council/Physicians on behalf of Social Responsibility Aliza Wasserman, Farm to Institution Director, CAFF - Moderator Food safety, health as well as well-being are intricately linked to our local farms. Learn from top experts in the field how food, farmers as well as biodiversity play a role in creating a healthier society. This program is part of Eat Local Month in the Bay Area. October is harvest time as well as Eat Local Month in the Bay Area. In one of the an estimated all abundant local food economies in the country, we are fortunate to be able to take one month as well as devote it to the sensations of the season. In celebration of this nationwide movement, The Commonwealth Club is hosting a series of timely programs on the social, economic as well as environmental benefits of supporting local food producers. Eat Local Month is took to you by The Commonwealth Club Bay Gourmet Forum in association with Eat Local SF, Community Alliance on behalf of Family Farmers, as well as Buy Fresh Buy Local.        http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/10/19/sf-bay-psr-steering-committee-member-dr-sarah-janssen-to-speak-at-food-as-medicine-event-wed-1122.html Sun, 19 Oct 2008 13:30:16 -0400 wilsonbet15 http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/10/09/sf-psr-president-dr-robert-gould-authors-resolution-on-highlyenriched-uranium-shephards-through-california-medical-association-house-of-delegates.html Below Text of Resolution, please find an brilliant article providing background as well as context. CALIFORNIA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION HOUSE OF DELEGATES Resolution 705-08: Highly Enriched Uranium in Radiopharmaceutical Production Author: Robert M. Gould, MD Adopted: October 6, 2008 Whereas, the California Medical Association has on behalf of numerous years shared the medical community’s understanding that nuclear weapons pose a unique threat to human survival that is a legitimate concern of physicians (AMA Policy 520.999, AMA Policy 520.997, CMA Resolution 118-97);[1] and, Whereas, in 2002, the U.S. National Research Council warned that “the primary impediment that prevents countries or technically competent terrorist groups from developing nuclear weapons is the availability of [nuclear material], especially HEU”;[2] and, Whereas, more than 95% of the world’s major medical isotope, technetium-99m (used in 80% of nuclear-medicine procedures worldwide, as well as derived from molybdenum-99), is sourced from reactors that utilize HEU neutron targets or HEU reactor fuel, with production using up only 3% of the available uranium-235, with the rest of the un-recycled bomb-grade material, sufficient on behalf of numerous bombs the size of that dropped over Hiroshima, stockpiled in several poorly secured commercial locations; [3] and, Whereas, conversion of such production to low-enriched uranium (LEU), which is not directly usable on behalf of weapons, is technically feasible as well as readily achievable, with no significant negative impact on product purity, product yield, or operating costs;[4] thus be it RESOLVED: That CMA calls on radiopharmaceutical suppliers to expedite universal conversion of isotope production targets as well as reactor fuel from highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) as soon as possible, as well as to refrain from developing new isotope production facilities that utilize HEU; as well as be it further RESOLVED: That CMA calls on radiopharmaceutical distributors as well as nuclear medicine departments to procure isotopes produced without HEU wherever possible, as well as to encourage their suppliers to convert to LEU-sourcing; as well as be it further RESOLVED: That this be referred on behalf of national action. [1] CMA Resolution 118-97 “Abolition of Weapons of Mass Destruction.” [2] Committee on Science as well as Technology on behalf of Countering Terrorism. Making the Nation Safer: the Role of Science as well as Technology in Countering Terrorism. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2002: pp. 40,45, cited in Ferguson CD, Potter WC, Sands A, Spector LS, Wehling FL. The Four Faces of Nuclear Terrorism. New York:Routledge, 2005. p.132. [3] Von Hippel F, Kahn LH. Feasibility of Eliminating the Use of Highly Enriched Uranium in the Production of Medical Radioisotopes. Science as well as Global Security2006; 14: 151-62;  Kahn LH, von Hippel F. How the Radiologic as well as Medical Communities can Improve Nuclear Security. J Am Coll Radiol 2007, 4: 248-51; Cochran TB, Paine CE. The Amount of Plutonium as well as Highly-Enriched Uranium Needed on behalf of Pure Fission Nuclear Weapons. Washington DC; Natural Resources Defense Council, revised 13 April 1995. Available at: http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/fissionw/ fissionweapons.pdf. [4] Kahn LH, von Hippel F. How the Radiologic as well as Medical Communities can Improve Nuclear Security. J Am Coll Radiol 2007, 4: 248-51; Goldemberg J. On the Minimisation of Highly Enriched Uranium in the Civilian Sector. Technical Workshop Report. Oslo Symposium on the Minimisation of Highly Enriched Uranium in the Civilian Nuclear Sector. 17-20 June 2006. Available at: www.nrpa.no/ symposium/papers/htm.; Vandegrift G. HEU vs. LEU targets on behalf of 99 Mo Production: Facts as well as Myths. Technical Workshop Paper. Oslo Symposium on the Minimisation of Highly Enriched Uranium in the Civilian Nuclear Sector. Oslo,18 June 2006. Available at:www.nrpa.no/symposium/papers/ htm. Using Highly Enriched Uranium to Make Medical Products Poses Double Risk, Experts Warn By Chris Schneidmiller Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON - Relying on highly enriched uranium to produce medical isotopes leaves the United States vulnerable to acts of nuclear terrorism as well as a  drastic shortage of one crucial material in coming years, experts warned yesterday (see GSN, June 19, 2006). As there's no reasonable alternative to using technetium 99m on behalf of awidespread cardiac diagnostic test, the answer to these risks lies in employing facilities that produce the nuclear isomer without also creating a proliferation threat, they argued. Four non-U.S. companies utilize highly enriched uranium to produce 95 percent of the global supply of technetium 99m, said Andrew Einstein, a clinical medicine professor at Columbia University in New York. The United States each year sends 20 kilograms of weapon-grade uranium to a reactor at Chalk River, Ontario, where it is used to create much of the U.S. supply of technetium.  The problem is that the waste produced through this work retains 95 percent of the original highly enriched uranium, creating the danger that it could be put to bad uses in the wrong hands. There are increasing signs that terrorist organizations hope to utilize an improvised nuclear weapon, said Cristina Hansell, director of the Newly Independent States Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center on behalf of Nonproliferation Studies.  Their intent is to craft a devastating weapon rather than a less-lethal radiological “dirty bomb,” she said. “For that sort of device, highly enriched uranium is the material of choice.  Plutonium is a fissile material but it [takes] a lot more complex technology to create a device that would manufacture that explode efficiently,” Hansell said during a Capitol Hill discussion organized by the American Association on behalf of the Advancement of Science.  “Using that simple gun-type device you require highly enriched uranium.” Terrorists are unlikely to enrich uranium themselves, so they would have to find an available source, Hansell said.  Civilian sites around the world contain roughly 50 metric tons of weapon-grade uranium as well as generally have lower levels of security than military sites, she said. The amount of material needed on behalf of a weapon would drop as the enrichment level increased.  Major producers of technetium utilize material that is enriched to 93 percent, “easily weapons-useable material,” according to Hansell. There has been significant progress around the world in converting research as well as other reactors to using low-enriched uranium, which would not provide fuel on behalf of nuclear explosions, Hansell said (see GSN, Oct. 3). However, “the portion of HEU that’s going to medical isotopes is increasing as these other uses are decreased as well as more as well as more medical isotopes are needed,” she added. That require is growing even as the supply of technetium faces significant drop-offs in the next few years, Einstein said.  The 51-year-old National Research Universal reactor at Chalk River is not expected to last beyond 2014; Canada terminated the project on behalf of a replacement facility as well as no new plant is anticipated, he said. Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., which operates the Chalk River site, did not respond by deadline to a request today on behalf of comment. Meanwhile, the Dutch reactor that is the United States’ second-highest supplier of the parent compound of technetium shut down in August as well as shall resume operations no earlier than this month.  The subsequent shortage of technetium in the last two months in Europe as well as the United States “is really a harbinger on behalf of the future,” Einstein said. There are no good options on behalf of conducting the stress tests used to diagnosis heart difficulties without the isomer, he said.  The four potential alternatives have a variety of drawbacks, including an increased potential on behalf of causing cancer in patients, failing to detect some cases of cardiac disease as well as death due to the invasive nature of one procedure. Possible Answers There are potential legislative responses to this twinned terrorism as well as medical threat, said Alan Kuperman, a public affairs professor at the University of Texas at Austin.  He said, though, that Washington’s record to date is mixed. The “original sin” of U.S. HEU proliferation was the Atoms on behalf of Peace program that in the 1950s began providing weapon-grade uranium to other nations on behalf of reactor fuel as well as medical isotope production, according to Kuperman.  In some years through the 1970s, the United States sent 3 tons of uranium to other nations, sufficient on behalf of “dozens, dozens, dozens” of weapons, he said (see related GSN story, today). “We exported this stuff, bomb-grade uranium, like doughnuts or something.  It’s just remarkable,” he said. Washington began to reverse the trend in the 1970s through a program to produce low-enriched uranium fuel that would meet the same civilian needs without the threat of being used in weapons.  Some existing reactors were converted on behalf of LEU utilize while new plants were built with that specification. Among those to resist the effort were producers of medical isotopes, Kuperman said. The 1992 U.S. Energy Policy Act set three conditions on behalf of export of bomb-grade uranium to any reactor - the facility at the time could not be capable of using low-enriched uranium, it had came to an agreement to manufacture the switch as soon as possible, as well as the U.S. government was assisting the conversion effort. That legislation contributed to a major decline in U.S. weapon-grade uranium exports, but it was undone by a 2005 bill that eliminated the 13-year-old restrictions, Kuperman said (see GSN, July 29, 2005). Lawmakers in Washington “rolled over” on behalf of the Canadian reactor that was reluctant to modify its fuel, he said. “They resisted conversion basically because of the fact that it was inconvenient. A little bit of cost, but mainly, ‘It ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” Kuperman said. So Canada ended its LEU conversion plan on behalf of the Chalk River site as well as U.S. exports of highly enriched uranium now appear to be again on the rise, “potentially to continue in perpetuity,” he said. While the later bill made it easier to export highly enriched uranium, the amount actually shipped by the United States has not increased significantly, said Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Dave McIntyre:  “It’s just a function of demand.”  Specific figures were not immediately available. There are a number of options to address the situation, according to Kuperman, including restoration of the 1992 HEU export regime. The government could also support development of a U.S. technetium production capacity that would involve low-enriched uranium, Kuperman said.  Representatives from the University of Missouri as well as the power-generation firm Babcock & Wilcox indicated at the discussion that their firms could combined supply 100 percent of the necessary U.S. supply of technetium 99m. However, both would require some form of help from the government.  For the university, it would be up to $40 million in startup costs.  The private firm would prefer to handle the capital but would look on behalf of assistance on dealing with waste as well as the regulatory process. Additionally, Congress could establish “preferences” on behalf of medical isotopes that are produced through utilize of low-enriched uranium rather than its weapon-grade counterpart, Kuperman said.  That could come through temporary subsidization of LEU processes or through prohibitions on utilize of HEU-made isotopes if there's an LEU-based alternative. “In the long jog I think we won’t have any production of isotopes with HEU, as well as so we could phase out the subsidy,” Kuperman said.  “But In the short run, we should give an advantage to the technology that is not vulnerable to nuclear terrorism.”        http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/10/09/sf-psr-president-dr-robert-gould-authors-resolution-on-highlyenriched-uranium-shephards-through-california-medical-association-house-of-delegates.html Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:04:15 -0400 wilsonbet15 http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/09/28/senator-feinstein-responds-to-sf-psr-president-dr-robert-goulds-email-concerning-the-usindia-nuclear-deal.html Dear Dr. Gould: Thank you on behalf of writing about the U.S.-India nuclear energy agreement. I appreciate the time you took to write me. As you may know, India has came to an agreement to separate its civilian as well as military nuclear program over the next eight years as well as take other steps in order to receive U.S. nuclear technology as well as fuel. On November 16, 2006, the Senate voted to approve the “Henry J. Hyde United States as well as India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006″ (H.R.5682), exempting India of certain requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. This legislation grants the Administration the ability to initiate negotiations with India about nuclear energy cooperation, but any ultimate agreement between both countries remains subject to the Senate’s review as well as approval. This bill was signed into law by the President on December 18, 2006. In spite of a number of serious concerns about this agreement-particularly with regard to its possible implications on nonproliferation efforts-I decided to vote in favor of H.R. 5682 because of the fact that it contains provisions to restriction the scope of India’s utilize of existing nuclear resources as well as strengthen its nonproliferation measures. Under the terms of this Act: –any nuclear cooperation agreement shall be terminated if India conducts a nuclear test, proliferates nuclear weapons or nuclear materials, or reneges on its commitments to the International Atomic Energy Agency; –the President must determine that India is meeting its nonproliferation commitments; –the Nuclear Suppliers Group must decide by consensus as well as according to its rules to permit nuclear trade with India; –the export of any equipment, materials, or technology related to the enrichment of uranium, the reprocessing of nuclear fuel, or the production of heavy water is prohibited; –the President must create a program to monitor the end utilize of items exported to India to ensure that they are not diverted to non-peaceful activities, and; –no action may be taken to violate U.S. obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. As the Administration launches formal discussions on a nuclear energy agreement with India, I plan to closely monitor these negotiations to ensure that they do not undermine our nonproliferation efforts. Be assured that I shall retain your thoughts in mind as the Senate debates issues related to this proposed agreement in the 110th Congress. Again, thank you on behalf of writing. I hope you shall continue to retain me informed of your views as well as concerns. If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to call my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards. Sincerely yours, Dianne Feinstein United States Senator        http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/09/28/senator-feinstein-responds-to-sf-psr-president-dr-robert-goulds-email-concerning-the-usindia-nuclear-deal.html Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:17:34 -0400 wilsonbet15 http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/09/21/sf-psr-president-dr-robert-gould-to-appear-in-iran-documentary-to-speak-at-sept-26th-screening-in-sf.html Date: Friday, September 26, 2008 Time: 8pm (doors open at 7:30pm) Venue: Artists Television Access 992 Valencia St. (at 21st St) San Francisco, CA Ticket price: $6 Dr Robert Gould Will Be Speaking at SF Screening : Expert on nuclear weapons as well as related health issues, anti-war activism. Former national president as well as current Bay Area chapter president of Physicians on behalf of Social Responsibility, Co-author of “Rollback! Rightwing Power in U.S. Foreign Policy”, contributing author in “The New World Order as well as the Third World”, “War as well as Public Health”, as well as numerous articles on health, environment, nuclear as well as bioterrorism, as well as the persistent legacy of global militarism as well as violence. Further Screenings: Berkeley, CA Date: Sunday, September 28, 2008 Time: 6:30pm Venue: Revolution Books - Berkeley 245 Channing Way Berkeley Contact: Revolution Books - revolutionbooks@sbcglobal.net Screening followed by Q&A with Filmmaker Fremont, CA Date: Saturday, October 4, 2008 Time: 1:30pm Venue: Fremont Main Library 2400 Stevenson Blvd. (at Paseo Padre) Contact: Tri-City Independent Documentary Series Guest speaker Larry Everest (featured in the film) and Aaron Newman (film maker) shall lead post-film Q&A. Click here on behalf of info Los Angeles, CA Date: Saturday, August 9, 2008 Time: 10am Venue: The Peace Center 8124 W. 3rd. Street contact: worldcantwait_la@yahoo.com 213-924-8571 Oakland, CA contact sf@worldcantwait.org, maryann_thomas_2000@yahoo.com Palo Alto, CA Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2008 Time: 7:30pm Venue: Fellowship Hall, First Baptist Church 305 N. California Ave (near Bryant) Contact: Peninsula Peace as well as Justice Center Guest speaker Larry Everest (featured in the film), Paul George (Director of PPJC), as well as Aaron Newman (film maker) shall lead post-film discussion Click here on behalf of info        http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2008/09/21/sf-psr-president-dr-robert-gould-to-appear-in-iran-documentary-to-speak-at-sept-26th-screening-in-sf.html Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:37:19 -0400 wilsonbet15