Critical Condition: Human Health and the Environment, A Report by Physicians for Social Responsibility

Abstract

During the past 20 years three societal issues emerged that have concerned many physicians greatly: the prospect of nuclear war and its potential impact on the population; the threat posed by industrialization to our physical environment and biosphere; and the effects of environmental chemicals and other physical hazards on the people who worked with them or might be exposed to their residues in air, food, or water. While physicians have contributed greatly to public education and political progress in each of these arenas, there has been surprisingly little interchange among these activists, nor any attempt to find common themes with potential for greater professional awareness and participation. In Critical Condition researchers and advocates from each of these perspectives have joined forces to define a common ground for physicians interested in the environment: impacts of environmental disturbances on human health. It is in this context that this small volume can best