WASHINGTON, April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) and the Institute for Policy Studies' Robert Alvarez will hold a joint press conference on Tuesday, April 26 on the ongoing impact of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster to public health 25 years after the accident, the continuing nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima, Japan, and the lessons from both for U.S. public health and safety. PSR will be unveiling a new online interactive Evacuation Zone Map.

PSR doctors will outline how accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima pose a threat to the public's health and the real challenges of implementing evacuation plans in the event of an accident, especially near major metropolitan areas.  Speakers will cover the latest findings regarding radiation exposure, the medical response to nuclear reactor accidents, and the implications of Fukushima and Chernobyl for US energy policy. .

WHAT: "Radiation, Nuclear Power and the Risks to Public Health: Chernobyl, Fukushima and the Future of Nuclear Energy."

WHEN: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

WHERE:  National Press Club, First Amendment Lounge

VISUALS: Illustration of PSR's interactive map of evacuation zones

SPEAKERS:

• Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), Ranking Member, Natural Resources Committee - Representative Edward J. Markey, a national leader on energy and the environment, is the Ranking Member of the Natural Resources Committee. He has served on the Committee since his election to the House of Representatives in 1976. In addition to being a steward of our public lands, national parks, and oceans, Rep. Markey has fought to create new jobs in American clean energy. He also consistently served as consumer champion against rising gas prices and foreign oil.
• PSR Immediate Past President Jeff Patterson, DO - Dr. Jeff Patterson is a professor emeritus in the Department of Family Medicine  at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, WI.  In this role, he maintains an active family practice and teaches residents in family medicine.  This has been his academic and clinical base since 1975.  He has lectured widely on the health effects of radiation and has traveled to Chernobyl and the U.S. and Russian test sites.
• Robert Alvarez, Senior Scholar, Institute For Policy Studies - Robert Alvarez is a Senior Scholar at IPS, where he is currently focused on nuclear disarmament, environmental, and energy policies. Between 1993 and 1999, Mr. Alvarez served as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for National Security and the Environment. While at DOE, he coordinated the effort to enact nuclear worker compensation legislation. In 1994 and 1995, Bob led teams in North Korea to establish control of nuclear weapons materials.
• PSR President-Elect Andrew S. Kanter, MD, MPH – Dr. Kanter is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Biomedical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology at the Earth Institute, Columbia University. He is an internist and international public health practitioner. He has been educating and advocating about nuclear power since 1982 and studied the medical and public health consequences of nuclear reactor accidents on large metropolitan areas.
• PSR Member of the Board Ira Helfand, MD - Dr. Helfand is a past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility.  He has lectured and published widely on the dangers of nuclear weapons and nuclear power.  He is a board-certified internist in Springfield, Massachusetts and a graduate of Harvard College and Albert Einstein Medical College.

MODERATOR:

• PSR Executive Director Peter Wilk, MD - Dr. Wilk has been active for the past 30 years in public health advocacy organizations and medical organizations concerned with preventing nuclear war and addressing other threats to global survival.  He was named Executive Director of PSR in February 2009. He has a long association with PSR, having served as a PSR Board member for many years and as PSR's President in 1995 and 2000.  As executive director, Dr. Wilk leads the largest physician-led organization in the United States working to address the gravest threats to human health and survival.

ABOUT PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (PSR)

Founded in 1961 by physicians concerned about the impact of nuclear proliferation, PSR shared the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War for building public pressure to end the nuclear arms race.  Since 1991, when PSR formally expanded its work by creating its environment and health program, PSR has addressed the issues of global warming and the toxic degradation of our environment.  PSR educates and advocates for policies to generate a sustainable energy future, curb global warming, ensure clean air, and prevent human exposures to toxic substances.  More information is available at www.psr.org.

CONTACT: Aric Caplan, +1-301-998-6592, aric@caplancommunications.com

SOURCE Physicians for Social Responsibility