ST9302-CS 950526 vsw 'zMss NATIONAL SVNVA , MAY
Many physicists are s!~eptical of a err on the side of caution, But many
link between power lines and cancer scientists fear that communities are
because the fields are so weak. Both spending !arie amounts of money on
Cancer Fear eloc.~ and magnetic fields are pro- problems that are more imatinary
duced whenever electricity flows than real. The Federal Government
through a wire, but fears center on sets no standards on exposure levels
Is Unfounded, """' """"
penetrate the human body. the issue in legal limbo.
The strength of magnetic fields is The American Physical Society is
Physicists '" """' ,..,.... ,..,..
from power lines and applllM~ces are cists. The 45,000-member or~aniza-
measured in mtiliEauss, or thou- tion, based in Collete Park, Md.,
sandths of a Eauss. A nearby power- orianizes conferences, publishes
line can radiate fields of 5 to 40 journals and speaks out occasionally
Power Line Concern mi!li~auss. By comparison, at a dis- on social issues. Its membership in-
tance otone toot, home appliances cludes many biDphysicists, who
Is Called Needless radi.. fields from .bo.tx to 2.0 s,udy the b,o,oSica, effec,s of
millilauss, the highest filure beini cal phenomena.
for an electric can opener. All real- After researching the power-can-
By WILLIAM .L BROAD netic fields drop sharply with dis- car issue since 1989, the society last
The world's !attest froup of phys- tance. year embarked on a study meant to
icists, the American Physical Soci- The earth's magnetic field, which serve as the busis for a society posi-
ety, has taken a stance on a conten- humans are constantly exposed to, is ~ion. The study was written by Dr.
tious public health issue by saying it :about 500 mi!lilauss. This is often David Hafemeister, a physicist at
can find no evidence that the electro- ;hundreds of times larler than the California Polytechnic State Univer-
mainetic fields that radiate from man-made ones people worry about. sity in San Luis Obispo. Dr. Hale-
power lines cause cancer. { Magnetic fields that have been roelater reviewed the existing litera-
The group's statement, issued re- linked to childhood leukemia in some ture of more than 1,000 papers and
cently after years of quiet delibera- epldemiologlcai studies are 3 to 4 conducted interviews with special-
tion, appears to be the strongest such milligauss, roughly one one-hun- isis in the field.
statement by a scientific society in dredth of the strength of the earth's The council of the American Phys-
the 15 years or so that the issue has magnetic field. The studies that suE- ical Society, its governing body, on
been debated. Seat such causation have often been April 22 approved a one-page state-
The society said that groundless criticized as ambiguous or flawed. meat, based on the larger study.
public fears about a possible link Despite the murkiness, citizen ac- While noting that the field was full
between power lines and cancer tivlsts and local iovernments have of on-going research, the statement
were diverting billions of dollars into forced electric utilities to move pow- Said that all the existing data and
mitigation work. er lines, to install shielding and to reports to date "show no consistent,
"More serious environmental cancel electrical plant upgradea out significant link between cancer and
problems are neglected for lack of of fear that power lines cause can- power line fields." It said no plausi-
funding and public attention," it car. The Houston Lighting &Power ble mechanism had been put for-
said, "The burdan of cost placed on Company has been sued on behalf of ward to explain such cancer induc-
the American public is incommensu- II families with children who have tion and that the preponderance of
rate with the risk, if any." cancer for what the lawsuit charges existing research failed to substanti-
Dr. Robert L. Park, a physicist at is the "fraudulent concealment of ate studies that reported adverse
the University of Maryland and a the carcinogenic nature of the fields health effects.
society spokesman, said in an inter- that secretly and silently invaded "The conjectures relating cancer
view that the group felt the time had their homes." to power line fields have not been
come to take s position because The annual cost of reducing p(nv- scientifically substantiated." it con-
"public concern was growing even er-line fields in 'the United States is cluded.
as the epidemiologlc evidence was estimated st $1 billinn to $3 billion.
shrinking and becoming faintar." In the debate, those who see a
danger tend to say that remedial THE FRESH AIR FUND: 1877-1995
action is necessary, no matter how
small the risk, because tt is best to