Protecting the environment and public health from rare earth mining

The Precautionary Principle : Protecting Public Health and the Environment 1

The precautionary principle is a guide to public policy decision making (Raffensperger and Tickner 1999, Schettler et al. 2002). It responds to the realization that humans often cause serious and widespread harm to people, wildlife, and the general environment. According to the precautionary principle, precautionary action should be undertaken when there are credible threats of harm, despite re...

Extramurally Speaking Earth Science Information for Protecting Public Health

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, provides reliable, impartial scientific information to describe and understand the earth. The vast earth and biological data holdings of the USGS and its natural science expertise in biology, geology, hydrology, and geography make it an effective partner in enhancing knowled...

Tainted earth: Smelters, public health, and the environment

In Tainted Earth, Marianne Sullivan examines the impact of non-ferrous smelting pollution in three US communities, investigating how the smelting industry successfully delayed pollution control measures for nearly a century. Smelting, the process of extracting metals from ore, played an important (and lucrative) role in US manufacturing. The process releases impurities such as lead and arsenic,...

The precautionary principle: protecting public health, the environment and the future of our children

Protecting Public Health from Inside a Jail Cell