Coal Health Study, Final Scottish Climate Camp Version
Photo Credit: Lindsay Addison
There has been no commissioned research into the effects of open-cast coal mining on the health of Douglasdale (South Lanarkshire, Scotland) residents. Globally, no research has yet been undertaken on the health effects of open-cast coal-mining operations which span such large spatial extents and decades-long time scale as those pending for the Douglasdale area of Scotland.
During the Scottish Camp for Climate Action at the Mainshill Solidarity Camp in Douglas Scotland 2009, Kirstie Stramler PhD, working under the auspices of Indymedia UK, performed a preliminary analysis on publicly available data.
The study revealed striking ill-health in people who reside near the Douglas and Dalmellington open-cast coal mines, as compared with aggregated UK health statistics and with a nearby Scottish village upwind from the mines.
The final version of the study from the Independent media tent at the Scottish Camp for Climate Action at the Mainshill Solidarity Camp can only be found here:
- Adverse Effects of Open-cast Coal Mining, 11 Aug. 2009 [PDF, 3.7MB]
- Adverse Effects of Open-cast Coal Mining, 11 Aug. 2009 [PDF, 1.2MB]
As these freely available government health statistics (see QOF and NHS databases) revealed shocking correlations between the operation of multiple open-cast coal mines and the negative effects on the health of the local population, this report has shed new light on the imperative to assess the heretofore neglected community health impacts of coal extraction activities occurring on the spatial scale of the South Lanarkshire area of Scotland.
This Scottish Climate Camp version of the Douglasdale report is finished. There will be no more Climate Camp Indymedia versions issued by Kirstie Stramler. The authoritative PDF version can only be found at the link above — any other versions are incomplete or are unauthorized.
A new, extended version will be compiled under the auspices of another organization. Address questions or comments on the report to Dr. Kirstie Stramler at coalhealthstudy@gmail.com .
Coal Health Study Blog 