I Love Mountains, a West Virginia-based organization fighting mountaintop-removal coal mining in Central Appalachia, recently created a Google Earth satellite map locating all active mountaintop-removal sites. Now it's created an interactive map reflecting data from recent scientific studies about health impacts of the mining practice. According to the group's website, people living near mine sites are 50 percent more likely to die of cancer and 42 percent more likely to be born with a birth defect than other people in the 13-state Appalachian region.
While the studies establish correlations, they have not proven causation, a point the coal industry makes. A new study by Yale University researchers, hired by the National Mining Association, concludes, "Coal mining is not per se an independent risk factor for increased mortality in Appalachia." The 11-page paper is available here; for a detailed analysis by Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette, click here.
The I Love Mountains site has 10 maps based on regional data sets, including rates of birth defects, poverty and cancer. The group provides a summary of the data. Here's a image of one map, showing cancer rates, with mines in green; for the full set of maps, click here.
While the studies establish correlations, they have not proven causation, a point the coal industry makes. A new study by Yale University researchers, hired by the National Mining Association, concludes, "Coal mining is not per se an independent risk factor for increased mortality in Appalachia." The 11-page paper is available here; for a detailed analysis by Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette, click here.
The I Love Mountains site has 10 maps based on regional data sets, including rates of birth defects, poverty and cancer. The group provides a summary of the data. Here's a image of one map, showing cancer rates, with mines in green; for the full set of maps, click here.
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