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By Madeline Doggett, Massachusetts Intern This post originally appeared on the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Blog For many of us, cancer feels like it surrounds us – so many friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors seem to be carrying this health burden in neighborhoods throughout our state, and throughout the nation. In Massachusetts, one hundred people on average are diagnosed with cancer every day. Since the mid 1980s cancer rates have risen 14% among men and 19% among women. The good news: due to a landmark law passed here in 1989, we’re making real progress in stemming this

Emissions from coal-fired Brayton Point Power Station in 2012 caused between 15 to 39 premature deaths and a host of additional health impacts from heart attacks to emergency room visits according to a new analysis released by Coal Free Massachusetts. Although the aging plant, located in Somerset, MA, has been operating less than in years past and has undergone a significant retrofit, health damage associated with Brayton Point’s emissions continues to cast a heavy shadow on local communities as well as the region as a whole.

“Brayton Point’s continued operation presents a grave threat to our

By Jennifer Peters, National Water Campaigns Coordinator Last month dozens of reporters gathered on the shores of Mountain Island Lake in North Carolina. They were there to hear national and regional environmental leaders discuss the worst toxic water pollution problem – the wastewater discharges from coal-fired power plants, which contain a witches’ brew of dangerous elements, such as lead, mercury, selenium and arsenic. Mountain Island Lake is the drinking water reservoir for nearly 800,000 residents in and near Charlotte. The reservoir was also used as a water pollution dumping ground for