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MindNet Journal - Vol. 1, No. 5b * [Part 2 of 3 parts]
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V E R I C O M M / MindNet "Quid veritas est?"
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Editor: Mike Coyle
Contributing Editors: Walter Bowart
Harlan Girard
Assistant Editor: Rick Lawler
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[Continued from part 1]
Of the EPA report, Time magazine reported, on July 30, 1990,
that Louis Slesin of Microwave News, has printed what may be his
greatest scoop: the key paragraph of a two-year Environmental
Protection Agency study recommending that so-called extremely
low-frequency fields be classified as "probable human
carcinogens" alongside such notorious chemical toxins as PCBs,
formaldehyde and dioxin. The recommendation, which could have set
off a costly chain of regulatory actions, was deleted from the
final draft after review by the White House Office of Policy
Development. "The EPA thing is a stunner," says Paul Brodeur, a
writer for the New Yorker. "It's a clear case of suppression and
politicization of a major health issue by the White House."
Paul Brodeur wrote of the EPA report in The New Yorker: "In
spite of the deletion, the summary-and-conclusions section of the
draft EPA report contained a persuasive indictment of power-line
magnetic fields as a cancer-producing agent. Its authors stated
that five of the six case-control studies published in the peer-
reviewed medical literature showed that children who lived near
power lines giving off strong magnetic fields were developing
cancer more readily than children who did not live near power
lines."
Public health officials are now beginning to take a position
on the EMF issue.
Patti Miller, who is in charge of the Washington State
Department of Health EMF Task Force, is quoted by Ellen Sugarman
in Warning: The Electricity Around You May Be Hazardous to Your
Health as stating: "In the Department of Health, we've been
answering questions about the dangers by telling people to avoid
fields at the level of 3 mG. The utilities recently complained to
the governor's office about it and the governor has tried to make
us stop saying this when people call. But we feel strongly that
we can't just pass the buck the way they do. After all, we're
responsible for the public health."
Dr. David Carpenter, former Executive Secretary of the New
York Power Lines Project and now Dean of the State of New York
School of Public Health, is quoted by Ellen Sugarman as stating:
"I am now convinced that EMFs pose a health hazard.
There is a statistical association between magnetic
fields and cancer that goes beyond the shadow of
reasonable doubt. I think there is clear evidence that
exposure to EMFs increases the risk for cancer. This is
most clear with leukemia and brain tumours, but in the
residential studies, statistical significance increased
for all kinds of cancer. And we're just beginning to
have a whole body of evidence that reproductive cancers
are increased by exposure."
The Bridlewood Residents Hydro Line is maintaining a
Bibliography on Electromagnetic Radiation and Health which
currently contains over 800 entries consisting of scientific
reports and journal articles, government and official reports,
newspaper and magazine articles, books, and non-print media such
as videotapes and TV programs.
HYDRO LINES AND SCHOOLS AND PLAYGROUNDS
BY: Richard W. Woodley
Bridlewood Residents Hydro Line Committee
"Schools may become the next battleground in the EMF
(electromagnetic fields) conflict. As parents learn more about
EMF health effects, they are demanding measurements and, when
necessary, reductions of EMF levels in classrooms and
schoolyards." As Microwave News reported in April 1990,
"Conflicts over EMFs in schools are not new".
Certainly this is not a new issue in Kanata as the
Bridlewood community has been fighting this issue since 1984 over
high voltage transmission lines located beside the Bridlewood
Community Elementary School.
Houston, Texas, 1985
One of the most famous and earliest cases occurred in
Houston, Texas in late 1985. After parents brought suit, a Texas
court ordered Houston Lighting & Power to pay more than $25
million to a local school district for "callous disregard" of
their children's health for siting a 345,000 volt line within 200
feet of a school and playground. The court also ordered the
utility to relocate the line, at an additional cost that may
exceed $40 million.
Boca Raton, Florida, 1989
Another significant case was in Florida in the summer of
1989. A Florida judge ruled that children may not play in a Boca
Raton school yard which borders on high voltage power lines. The
suit was brought by three local parents who sought to close the
Sandpiper Shores school because of potential EMF health hazards.
The judge noted that children have "no choice" about going to
school and therefore EMF exposure at school is an involuntary
risk: "A 1% chance that there is substantial danger is
unacceptable".
As well the school board agreed to allow the parents of
children attending the school to request transfers to another
school if they had concerns about the school being located next
to the power lines.
California, 1989
Also in the summer of 1989, the California State Department
of Education adopted a policy for siting schools near power
lines, noting that a "conservative approach" should be taken when
evaluating sites near power line easements. The department's
School Facilities Planning Division limits for schools are: 100
feet from the edge of easement for 100-110 kV lines, 150 feet for
220-230 kV lines and 250 feet for 345 kV lines.
County Wicklow, Ireland, 1989
In 1989 in County Wicklow, Ireland, a citizens group called
SPARKS (Stop Powerlines Across Residences Kindergartens and
Schools) began fighting a 220 kV power line located near two
schools and many homes. The group called a Ministry of Energy
report claiming there is no health risk a whitewash stating that
it is biased and contains flaws and omissions.
Santa Barbara, California, 1990
On February 28, 1990 New Yorker writer Paul Brodeur and the
Electric Power Research Institute's Dr. Leonard Sagan went head-
to-head in Santa Barbara before the California Municipal
Utilities Association. The EMF issue is hot in Santa Barbara
because of an unexplained childhood cancer cluster at Montecito
Union School. Between 1981 and 1988, there were six cases of
leukemia and lymphoma among the students - five times the
expected rate. Of particular concern is the fact that two 66 kV
power lines are on the perimeter of the school property. In
addition there is an electrical substation close by.
The day after the Brodeur-Sagan face-off, Jack Sahl of
Southern California Edison told the Santa Barbara News-Press
that, based on his EMF survey, "Montecito looks like just a
normal school in terms of [EMFs]." On March 16, 1990, the News-
Press reported that the school board had decided to rope off
sections of the school that have strong magnetic fields.
The school board voted unanimously to limit the exposure of
students at the Montecito Union School to EMF exposures below 2
mG. The school relocated playgrounds and desks and roped off
sections of the school with high magnetic fields.
New Jersey, 1990
Also in 1990 the New Jersey Commission on Radiation
Protection proposed that the siting of new playgrounds under
power lines be prohibited and that warnings be posted at
playgrounds that are already located under power lines.
Sweden, 1990
Early in 1990 The Swedish National Energy Administration
(NEA) advised that new schools, day-care centres and playgrounds
not be located near power lines, "pending further research." Jack
Nou, the head of the NEA's department of electrical safety,
recommended that magnetic fields in those areas not exceed 2-3
mG, the threshold for increased childhood cancer risks indicated
by the Wertheimer-Leeper and Savitz studies. Mesa, Arizona, 1992
Parents concerned with an unusually high incidence of brain
cancer among children at Frost Elementary School identified a 50
mG magnetic field hot spot in the basement. The problem was
rectified by correcting an improperly wired lighting system.
Fresno, California, 1992
In an article in the December 7, 1992 issue of The New
Yorker, Paul Brodeur reports on a cluster of cancer cases among
teachers and teachers aides at the Louis N. Slater Elementary
School in Fresno, California. A high voltage transmission line is
within a hundred feet or so from the school and the cancer cases
were concentrated amongst people working on the side of the
school closest to the power lines. New schools in California are
now required to be at least 150 feet from such lines.
The Fresno Unified School District responded to parents'
demands for action by closing ten classrooms, placing the
children in portables on the other side of the schoolyard and
closing off an area of the playground that was nearest to the
power lines.
San Francisco, California, 1992
Teachers at the Alvarado Elementary School have refused to
work in the front half of the school that is beside electrical
transformers and distribution lines. Twenty-two cases of cancer
have been identified in staff that worked in that half of the
school while none were reported amongst staff who worked in the
other half of the school. The San Francisco Board of Education is
looking into the problem.
Oregon (1992)
The Bonneville Power Administration has passed a moratorium
on siting playgrounds in transmission line right-of-ways.
Clark County, Washington, 1992
The mother of a teenager who died of leukemia has filed a
wrongful death suit against the Public Utilities District
alleging that electromagnetic fields from a 115 kV transmission
line next to her daughter's school and a substation near their
home caused her daughter's cancer.
HYDRO LINE AND EMF STRUGGLES AROUND THE WORLD
BY: Richard W. Woodley
Bridlewood Residents Hydro Line Committee
New York State - Goshen/Middleton (1982-1989)
Farmers and other landowners are fighting the New York Power
Authority (NYPA) over the 345 kV Marcy-South transmission line
carrying power from Canada to New York City.
The property owners want the NYPA to establish a 2,400 foot
right-of-way limiting magnetic field exposures to 0.5 mG. They
are seeking $63 million in damages, the utility has offered
$400,000.
United States (1985 -)
Since 1985 more than 100 EMF lawsuits have been launched in
the United States.
Australia - Melbourne (1988)
A 220 kV power line from Brunswick to Richmond, serving
Melbourne, has been placed on hold pending a new study by a
review panel. The panel will be watched closely by Powerline
Action, an umbrella organization of community groups and
residents based in Melbourne.
California - Fremont (1988)
The planning commission is requiring the state real estate
department to warn potential buyers of homes in a new subdivision
near power lines that the lines may pose a health risk.
Maryland (1988)
The Brinkwood Community Association in Maryland is opposing
a 500 kV power line proposed by the Potomac Electric Power Co.
The line was approved subject to a hearing on health effects by
the Public Service Commission. The Maryland People's Council,
which represents the interests of residential electricity users,
will be participating in the hearings.
United States (1988)
In its August 22, 1988 issue, Newsweek told the public what
utility professionals have long known: There is a virtual
moratorium in the U.S. on building new high-voltage power lines
because of "community opposition and environmental worries."
British Columbia (1989)
BC Hydro has offered to pay a fair market price to
landowners concerned about increased electromagnetic fields
(EMFs) from a new 230 kV power line on Vancouver Island, although
they claim there is no reason to believe the line poses a health
risk. 90% of those eligible have indicated an interest in the
purchase offer.
Since then the British Columbia Utilities Commission has
ordered BC Hydro to stop all work on the line until a public
inquiry could be held into the safety of the line and ordered it
to extend its offer to buy the homes along the right-of way until
September 15, 1989.
Florida (1989)
On December 29, 1989 Florida's Hillsborough County
challenged the state's power line electromagnetic field standards
claiming that the standards disregard studies showing a potential
link between increased cancer risks and magnetic field exposures
at levels significantly lower than the specified limits.
According to the county, they "do not further the statutorily
mandated goal of protecting public health and welfare," because
they are "approximately 100 times greater than the intensity of
magnetic fields, which are suspected to increase the incidence of
all childhood cancer by 30 percent and to double the risk of
contracting childhood leukemia."
Texas - Austin (1989)
Austin, Texas City Council adopted a resolution requiring
the City Manager to develop a transmission plan which will
provide reliable service while minimizing the potential health
effects from electromagnetic radiation and requiring that if any
lines greater than 138 kV are proposed the field strengths are no
greater than those of 138 kV lines with the same capacity.
Maryland (1989-1990)
On January 22, 1990 the Maryland Office of People's Counsel
(OPC) challenged a December 21, 1989 Maryland Public Service
Commission (PSC) decision to allow the Potomac Electric Power
Company (PEPCO) to complete the last segment of a 243 mile 500 kV
power line loop around Washington, D.C.
The OPC challenged the PSC Hearing Examiner's decision,
arguing that the "evidence clearly is sufficient to justify the
commission's adoption of a 'prudent avoidance' policy in this
case, and the imposition of conditions which will reduce the
magnetic field exposure levels in a reasonable and prudent
manner."
Oregon (1990)
Pacific Power and Light, an Oregon utility, recently
announced that it will use a "delta" tower design that will
nearly halve the EMF levels along the edge of the right-of-way
(ROW) of a proposed 500 kV power line. The total additional cost
of the new towers is approximately $2.4 million, about 3.5% of
the total cost of the project.
PugetPower, which received a permit to build the 130-mile
Eugene-Medford line in 1982, hit a roadblock when residents
living near the proposed line banded together to fight the
utility's plans. The ensuing controversy led the DOE to assemble
a panel of experts to review the literature on ELF health
effects.
Rhode Island (1990)
On October 9, 1990 the town council of East Greenwich, RI,
banned all new power lines above 60 kV for three years. The
ordinance came about in response to widespread citizen concern
about the EMFs from proposed new 345 kV and 115 kV lines which
the Narragansett Electric Company plans to run through parts of
East Greenwich. This is the first moratorium on power line
construction in the U.S.
Rhode Islanders for Safe Power (RISP) pushed for the three-
year moratorium because of the need for further research on the
health effects of EMFs and because it "was the least noxious
formula and most likely to be sustained by the PUC," RISP's Ed
Seiler told Microwave News.
The nearby towns of Coventry and Foster have followed East
Greenwich's lead by passing moratoriums of their own, and a
statewide ban on high voltage power lines was proposed during the
1991 legislative session.
Washington (1990)
Voters in Whatcom County, WA, approved a citizens'
initiative restricting power lines exceeding 115 kV to industrial
areas. Citizens Initiative No. 4-90 marks the first successful
power line siting referendum in the U.S
The 1990 Whatcom County vote stood out in a year in which
many other environmental referendums were rejected. California's
"Big Green" and New York's environmental bond propositions both
failed, yet the Whatcom County power line initiative passed by a
nearly two-to-one margin.
Soviet Union 1990
In response to citizens' protests about the siting of a
high-power transmission line the government ordered the utility
to make the line direct current.
Michigan (1991)
Michigan Rep. Howard Wolpe (D) has asked Consumers Power Co.
(CPC) of Jackson, MI to suspend construction of a controversial
115-mile, 345 kV transmission line, citing concerns about
electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures. In an August 13, 1991
letter, Wolpe urged the utility to "announce a moratorium on this
project".
Wolpe is the chairman of the House Committee on Science,
Space and Technology's Subcommittee on Investigations and
Oversight, which held a hearing on August 6, 1991 in Battle
Creek, MI, on the power line and EMFs.
The Michigan branch of RAGE (Residents Against Giant
Electric) has succeeded in getting many of the towns along the
proposed route to pass resolutions opposing the project
Wisconsin (1991)
Add Wisconsin to the list of states considering a temporary
ban on new power lines because of concerns over possible EMF
health effects. On November 6, 1991, Maxine Hough and eight other
state representatives, along with two state senators, introduced
legislation calling for a three-year moratorium on new lines
above 60 kV. The bill would require the Wisconsin Public Service
Commission (PSC) to conduct EMF research and measurement surveys
during the moratorium. "It is dangerous and foolhardy to build
more high voltage power lines...until we have adequate answers to
the health concerns," Hough said at an October 7, 1991 press
conference.
Last year, Wisconsin legislators and their staffs were
disturbed to learn that EMFs as high as 400 mG had been recorded
in the buildings where they work. State legislators in Michigan,
Rhode Island and Tennessee, as well as local officials in
Missouri, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington State, have
proposed power line bans.
California - Daly City (1992)
Developers of a subdivision next to a large transformer
station and under high-voltage lines have been required to give
buyers a disclosure statement that warns of "possible potential
adverse health effects caused by exposure to electric and/or
magnetic fields generated by high-voltage lines".
Illinois - Chicago (1992)
Better Electric Safety Today (BEST) is a network of citizens
groups and activists in the Chicago area fighting power lines.
One of the groups - No Power Towers, in Kane County was
successful in getting Commonwealth Edison (Com Ed) to
indefinitely postpone plans for a new transmission line. Citizens
Against Unsafe Electricity (CAUSE) in Lake County has also been
fighting Com Ed. Two groups in Dupage County, in Warrenville and
Wheaton. are fighting Com Ed plans as well. Another two groups
have also been formed in the Chicago area.
Indiana (1992)
Families United for Safe Energy (FUSE), a Shipshewana,
Indiana based group fighting the power line issue, celebrated
it's first anniversary in May 1992.
Kansas (1992)
The Pinckney Neighbourhood Association is fighting plans by
KPL Gas Service to upgrade power lines in their community from 69
kV to 115 kV. They fear increased exposure to electromagnetic
fields created by the high-voltage lines. They want KPL to string
the lines along the Santa Fe Railway right of way on the west
bank of the Kansas River.
Pennsylvania - Scranton (1992)
Mayor Jim Connors appeared before the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency in January to report on community concerns that
a high incidence of cancer among residents on the south side of
the city may be caused by a 69-kV power line running through the
neighbourhood.
Pennsylvania - York County (1992)
Opponents of a proposed 268-mile 500 kV power line in
northern York County, Pennsylvania have won a delay in the
technical hearings on the project. The opponents, including the
Citizens' Action Group, have argued that the line will decrease
property values and that the electromagnetic fields surrounding
the line may be harmful to human health.
Tennessee - Tiptonville (1992)
The Lake County Commission has forced the Tennessee Valley
Authority to reroute a 161-kV line residents felt was going to
pass too close to their residences. "I just don't feel people
will stand for it", said Shelby Barker, a Lake County executive.
Virginia - Alexandre (1992)
Residents are fighting to get the power company to remove
lines near their homes and the city council is behind them.
SOURCES OF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
BY: Richard W. Woodley
Bridlewood Residents Hydro Line Committee
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD EXPOSURE IN THE HOME
What Are Normal EMF Levels in the Home
According to the industry-funded Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in residences
generally range from 0.5 to 10 mG. However, a number of recent
studies have found that most residences have readings below .5
mG. A large-scale Denver study showed magnetic fields to be below
1.82 mG for 90 percent of the homes, while 75 percent had fields
below 1 mG.
What Are Safe EMF Levels
This is the most controversial aspect of the EMF issue with
some scientists saying more research is necessary to determine
safe or dangerous levels. However a growing number of scientists
have accepted that EMFs are a proven health risk. The levels
cited by these scientists as a maximum safe level of exposure
range from 1 mG (for example, Dr. Robert O. Becker) to 3 mG (for
example, the Washington State Department of Health).
What Are the Sources of EMFs in the Home
A study by the Electric Power Research Institute listed the
primary sources of residential magnetic fields as:
- Transmission lines
- Distribution lines
- Currents in the residence's grounding system
- Unusual wiring arrangements in the residence
- Appliances (Appliances don't contribute greatly to the
overall high magnetic fields in a house).
Numerous studies have established that most high magnetic
fields in houses are produced by nearby power lines. The fields
from high-voltage transmission lines are greater and require
greater distances before they drop off. Fields from distribution
lines are lower and drop off sooner but are more pervasive within
our communities. Transformer stations and pole/ground mounted
transformers also emit EMFs.
[Continued to part 3]
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