An exhaustive new scientific study concludes the coal mining practice of mountaintop removal is so dangerous to the environment and public health that it should be banned. Published in the journal Science, the study by a team of twelve scientists is said to be the most comprehensive look at mountaintop removal to date. The study says increases in birth defects, cancers, fish kill and water contamination were among the effects of mountaintop removal. The study’s lead author, Margaret Palmer of the University of Maryland, said, “Scientists are not usually that comfortable coming out with policy recommendations, but this time the results were overwhelming… [The] only conclusion that one can reach is that mountaintop mining needs to be stopped.” The study comes on the heels of this week’s controversial approval of a new mining permit for the Hobet 45 mine in West Virginia.