Physicians' role in environmental issues

Our health and the health of our patients are linked closely to the quality of our environment. As physicians, we ourselves must learn and then we must educate our patients about the importance of preventing health-endangering pollution of our air, water, food, and soil. As busy physicians, we need access to the most current, important new scientific information regarding environmental degradation where our patients work and live so we can appreciate the clinical problems that some patients present to us today. The National Association of Physicians for the Environment (NAPE) is an organization of physicians and 46 medical professional societies serving to promote protection of the environment as a fundamental responsibility of physicians and other health professionals. NAPE sponsors national conferences, promotes the publication of current "best practices" information in various general and specialty areas, and serves as a national forum for the discussion of issues and dissemination of scientifically valid information needed for physician and patient education.