EMF: Potential Hazards

THE POTENTIAL HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH POWER LINES

savethefoothills.org

FACTS:
1. All power lines emit EMF, short for electromagnetic radiation field.
2. The closer you are to a power line, the more EMF radiation you are exposed to. (This is measured by milliGauss, or mG.)
3. The World Health Organization has rated EMF as class 2B, a possible carcinogen (causes cancer). (It was rated down from an initial 2A probable carcinogen rating by Dr. Rapacholi’s board; he was later asked to leave the organization as a result of this decision.)
4. Many other foreign countries have rated EMF as a Class 2A carcinogen and put legislation into effect to protect children and adults from this probable cancer causer (Nadine Wu, Environmental Law Centre, April 2005, Victoria, BC, Canada).

IF YOU WANT TO SEE FOR YOURSELF THE EMF EMITTED BY POWER LINES AND ITS INFLUENCE ON YOUR BODY:
1. Stand under a metal tower (high voltage transmission) power line with a fluorescent tube light in your hand—it will light up from the EMF emissions!
2. Take a portable radio and tune in a weak station—then grab the antenna, and the signal strength will increase. This demonstrates how your body “interacts with” EMF.

RECOGNTION THAT POWER LINES ARE PROBABLY NOT GOOD FOR CHILDREN’S HEALTH:
1. Connecticut passed legislation in 2004 that will not allow high voltage power lines near residential housing, schools, day care centers, or public playgrounds (Connecticut Public Act No. 04-246)
2. Majority Leader Representative James A. Amann stated the following about the new law:
“The legislature must take measures to protect our children from health hazards. Given the conflicting scientific effort regarding health risks from electromagnetic fields, the question remains: How should we proceed when locating high voltage lines in our communities? We must come down on the side of caution.” (Amann, February 26, 2004, before the Connecticut House Energy and Technology Committee)
3. California has tried (unsuccessfully) to pass the Children’s Electromagnetic Field Risk Reduction Act of 1993, using the prudent caution principle, based on the need to protect our children’s health until the federal government and scientists can prove that EMFs created by power lines are not a threat to our children’s health.
4. In Irving, CA, residential construction may not occur on properties where the EMF exceeds 4mG.
5. 13 European countries now have legislation based on the prudent caution principle that prevents transmission lines from being placed too close to places where children are.

WHAT THE POWER COMPANIES SAY ABOUT EMF:
1. Based on inconsistent research findings (some research finds a variety of adverse health effects, while other research does not), the results on EMF and probable health hazards are inconclusive.
2. When asked is EMF is safe, they say, “We cannot tell you that EMF exposure is safe.”
3. There are ways in which they can reduce the EMF from transmission lines (split phase, double circuit line, configuration twist, etc; 1993 Maryland EMF status report), but they have not done that to any lines running in this area.