Name: The shocking danger of mountaintop removal -- and why it must end
Uploaded: 2018-05-22T20:01:35Z
Duration: 13 min 35 s
Description: Research investigator Michael Hendryx studies mountaintop removal, an explosive type of surface coal mining used in Appalachia that comes with unexpected health hazards. In this data-packed talk, Hendryx presents his research and tells the story of the pushback he's received from the coal industry, advocating for the ethical obligation scientists have to speak the truth.

Research investigator Michael Hendryx studies mountaintop removal, an explosive type of surface coal mining used in Appalachia that comes with unexpected health hazards. In this data-packed talk, Hendryx presents his research and tells the story of the pushback he's received from the coal industry, advocating for the ethical obligation scientists have to speak the truth.

The shocking danger of mountaintop removal -- and why it must end

Mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia has devastated over 1.2 million acres and led to the destruction of 500 mountains. Communities near these sites face dramatically higher rates of cancer, heart, and lung diseases, with about 1,200 extra deaths each year linked to mining exposure. Despite strong evidence and rising contamination of air and water, industry and political forces resist action, echoing the denial once seen with tobacco and climate change. The ongoing crisis raises urgent questions about how much evidence is needed before ethics demand intervention.

Blasting Mountains Destroys Health While Science Fights Denial

health