Rosalie Bertell was also a strong supporter of the No Spray Coalition, a
fighter for decades against those misusing science and technology to
exploit people and ravage the earth and exposer par excellence of the
nuclear power corporate liars and profiteers.
Farewell, Dr. Rosalie Berrtell ....
- Mitchel
From "Beyond Nuclear"
http://www.beyondnuclear.org/home/2012/6/15/remembering-dr-rosalie-bertell.html
We mourn the passing of Dr. Rosalie Bertell, age 83, who died
peacefully on June 14. Rosalie Bertell, scientist and Grey Nun of the
Sacred Heart, was a tireless and compassionate advocate for those
poisoned by chemical and radiological weapons and contamination.
Her book, "No Immediate Danger? Prognosis for a Radioactive
Earth" published in 1985, was the first book to reveal the dangers
of low-level radiation.
Rosalie received her Ph. D. degree in Biometrics with minors in Biology
and Biochemistry from the Catholic University of America, in 1966. Since
that time she has worked as a biometrician and environmental
epidemiologist. By choice, Dr. Bertell worked for the victims or
potential victims of industrial, technological and military pollution
with a particular emphasis on assisting the struggles of third world and
indigenous people to preserve their Human Right to life and health. Her
major concerns were with the dangers associated with economic
globalization, war and the proliferation of chemical and radioactive
pollutants as the result of preparation for war and the toxic products
and processes developed from weapons research and production.
The International Institute of Concern for Public Health (IICPH), of
which she was Founder and Immediate Past President, opened its doors in
1984 in Toronto Canada and continues to serve as an institutional support
for her work. She was also a founding member of the International
Commission of Health Professionals, and the International Association of
Humanitarian Medicine.
Among many projects she has headed, the most notable are: Director of the
International Medical Commission Bhopal which investigated the aftermath
of the Bhopal disaster in India; and organizer of the International
Medical Commission on Chernobyl to present testimony to the Permanent
People's Tribunal. She assisted the people of the Philippines with
problems stemming from toxic waste left by the U.S. Military on their
abandoned Subic and Clark military bases. She has worked with the
government of Ireland to hold Britain responsible for the radioactive
pollution of the Irish Sea, and assisted the Gulf War Veterans and the
Iraqi citizens dealing with the illness called Gulf War Syndrome. She
acted as Consultant to local, Provincial and Federal Governments, unions
and citizen organizations.
She was the recipient of five honorary degrees. Among her many awards can
be numbered the Alternative Nobel Prize, Right Livelihood Award; World
Federalist Peace Award; Ontario Premier's Council on Health, Health
Innovator Award; the United Nations Environment Programme Global 500
award and the Sean MacBride International Peace Prize. She was selected
to be one of the 1,000 Peace Women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize,
2005. Rosalie published numerous articles, reviewed articles for
professional journals and was editor of the journal, "International
Perspectives in Public Health".
Read a longer tribute to Rosalie, by Dr. Ilya Sandra Perlingieri,
here.