ST9302-CS 961101 ukemia, ' """ "' ,,0....,. o,
er lines and leukemia but that elec- homebayen have ~k~ m r~eat
tri~ apparently i3 not ~o blame yam. ~e ~ae of
for the dBea~. new ho~mg developmartin h~
~. ~c~, number and proximi- ~Hcy reg~g ~em. ~ re~H
~, d el~ical lines -- known ~ mm to j~ ~at race, offici~
dei ~e ,wire c~e" -- ~ an indicator ofmd ~ay.
[k the sireaCh of electromagnetic ~e research council's findin~
~el~ wi~n a home. generally track those of o~er r~
But, ~e research council said, cent ~udies, mcluding a j~om-
No evidence mp m more ~orough studies b~d on ac- plet~ proj~t ~at su~ey~ ~-
t~ mmu~men~ of ~ch fiel~ ly eve~ home m
study ~ ~e ~ ~e to ~ ~1~- ~, it ~ ~ly to put
By George R~rigue ~tw~n memr~ el~m~e~c ~ltor ~uls Slain. "
~r~uof~e~HmM~l~Ne~ fiel~ and ~s of leuke~a. "What d~ this all ~d up
~e ~il ~ ~d it fond m
W~ING~N -- ~e~ m M' ~ con~ove~,' he ~d.
~ flel~ f~m ~er ~ /; ~ e ~ef line alter
iI of leukeml~ areGaS i- I ~e w hm~ or ~ ~ ~7 I don't ~lnk ~." '
~ ~o live near such lin~ ~ ~s, even at stren~ 1~. ~el ch~man Steve~, ho~'
~ Re,arch Commit ~ aes those encounter~ in i
~. ie. ~ w' Mid Eien~ic ~ch
~ ~ no r~n to
'J cumnt ~y of evii ~e f~dings ~int to the urn- W ~. "You ~d move away
~ of ~over~ what d~ a~ -
M~ [ ~w that ex~ m ito ~me~8 wo~**' he
i'~-.~elds p~nts a ~ chfi~ tammrs, ~~ "kuse you don't know wM
J ~hm~,'panel chmsn / m~ ~nn~g fwm.'
C~ F. Stayerie, d ~ ~ ~ a ~t ~~ ~n ~, he ~d~, "~ien~
~ J~ ~lf., ~id at a ~ ~ ~ ~ m f~ i i ~ ~ ~y tat
~Bce. w nelgh~rh~, ~ more t~t- t ~ ~ufion~ tat ~ tm
'~ifically, no concl~ivs ~ ~ ~k~ ho~g ~d more a~ ~ ~igat~ only
ant evidence shows thM w ~ile ~gfic. ~ G~r-s~ond) electromagn~
m to residential electric ~ ~gh-voltage ~wer lines ~ve ~ ~ ~iat~ ~ r~del
~c fiel~ pr~uces ~, ~pt~ lawson ~d public p~ ~ ~ lines. It did not review
~vwm neuro~haviorsl effe~ w m s~ce epidemiolo~ first m -~ ~ ~rm from devic~ such
r~mcHve and developmen~ d- ~ed wor~me sig~ in 1979. ~ m ~ cellular phones, which
f~" ~ El~c has mount~ a mawr '~ ene~ waves at millions or billm
/ ~ly pubUc~ ~ effort to help word~ c~tome5 -- ~ d ~les ~r ~ond.
i'f~nd s m~ Ill. ~ inclu~ mmad~ el~omq- ~ ~ei's vice c~,
mMn ~wer lines sad chil~ netic fiel~ witch customers' ~y of Noah ~!~a
lean. which aff~ sp~- ~., ff ~, ~~ to o~t David A. ~vi~, WM
ms~y one in ~,~ children ran- ~m~ny ~k~ ~c~ ~ i ~ienUm who pre~o.ly
ally. ~ildren living near the fin. He ~d each ~ ~ve d~ ~ ~ a sta~U~l ~nk
f~ lj times the normal risk of ~e ~ recent ye~ ~d have ~en fo~ i ~d ~e pan~ of
i, the ~udies found. ~es fewer this year ~ in 1~
~ ~m prompt~ laQ' "~ report conrims what o~ B.t he not~ ~uadsy that
~ ~ for ~wer line i k ~tion has ~en for ~me ~me,' ~iation between power lie
i or move. And in '~ ~. ~itt said. "We ~lieve that s ~ ~ukemi8 is far weaker than
M Mk~ for a thorough ~ link between electromagnetic ~f~d lung cancer increa~ at-
~ d ~e situation, which ~ fields and health problem h~ n~ s~ with cigarette staging.
ly'8 ~. ~n established, and we watch ~ "When you have an a~ia~
~. of the l~mem~r ~ ~e involved with what scien~ of l.S, even if it is real, it is sm~.'
~ by ~e r~arch ~i ~ doing, around the count~ ~ ~. ~vi~ said. "And it ~ ~ sm~
~ ~ of te NaUonal A~de6 a~und ~e world." that it is hard to My w~r lt's
M, ~d ~ey re~ew~ ~ In fm~ ~, w~ real."
i ~ gudies in unpr~~
~ md detail.
~e council said that the statisti-
~l iinkqe d~ exit ~n ~w-
es,,, FORWAP ED TO
DUPLICATE
He and his colleagues cited sav-
erat reasons for believing that the
magnetic and electrical fields from
power lines pose no significant risk.
· Electromagnetic fields from
power lines are generally less pow-
erful than those occurring natural-
ly.
· Weak fields such as those
found within homes do not affect
cells in test tubes or in live animals.
Fields 1,000 to 100,000 times stron-
ger do affect cells. But there is no
evidence of damage to the cells' g~-
nsttc material that could cause can-
oar, or any harm.
· Animal studies indicate that
magnetic fields may affect the
Iltaln's pineal gland, which can In-
hint production of melatonin.
there is no evidence of such ass
effect on humans or of any harm
health because of the lower melato-
nln levels.
· Studies in the United Sta~s
and Europe have found that people
in some electrical occupatioss.
such as power-company line work-
ers, may have two to three times the
normal risk of leukemia or brain
cancer. But other factors, including
exlmsures to chemicals, may also be
involved. And there is little or no
evtdence that risk rises in propor-
tion to exposure to electromagnetic
fields.
Sta]! writer Linda Stewart Ball in
PIano contributed to thb rape..