Fields of Peril

Here's a three-part story from 20 years ago. Why has the media stopped covering these issues?

Electromagnetic Fields: a growing concern - The Free-Lance Star - May 6, 1991

A 1990 draft EPA report identified 60-hertz magnetic fields from power lines and perhaps other sources in the home as a "possible, but not proven" cause of cancer in humans.

The agency said studies were inconclusive as to the dangers of electromagnetic radiation in the higher, so-called radio-frequency fields, such as radio and television signals. It did, however, urge more study of elevated rates of leukemia discovered in recent years among amateur radio operators.

Radio-frequency fields are generated by radio and TV transmitters, cordless and cellular phones, microwave communication equipment and cooking ovens, and a variety of medical devices.

The EPA staff initially recommended classifying 60-hertz fields as "probable human carcinogens" and radio-frequency fields as "possible" carcinogens.


Worried town takes action to reduce electromagnetic risk - The Free-Lance Star - May 7, 1991

When children developed cancer at five times the usual rate, suspicion focused on power lines and an electric substation near Montecito Union School.

o keep children away from strong electromagnetic fields, school officials fenced off parts of patios outside kindergarten classrooms and painted warning stripes around a transformer and electric service panel. They also rearranged classroom computers and moved playground equipment, benches and a fence farther from power lines.

Cindy Sage, Lailan Fell, Dr. Abe Potolsky and other parents of current and former students admit they don't really know what caused the children's cancer, or if the steps taken will prevent other students from becoming ill.

But their actions made them feel they were "able to do something about it so it doesn't happen to other children."


Appliances as a risk? - The Free-Lance Star - May 8, 1991

"We have a healthy suspicion that electromagnetic fields might cause some health problems, so to the extent you can reduce your exposure, it can't hurt," said Brian Bennett, a regional affairs manager for Southern California Edison, a regional power company.

M. Granger Morgan, head of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, said home buyers might consider the location of power lines and substations when house shopping.

"It's a triumph of superstition over reason," said Lee Roszyk, a Florida-based consultant and former vice president of Sunbeam-Northern Electric Co., the nation's largest maker of electric blankets.

Nevertheless, the company reacted to public concern in 1989 by redesigning its electric blankets, throw blankets and bed warmers to reduce magnetic fields by 95 percent.

In 1989, Consumer Reports magazine recommended pregnat women and children avoid electric blankets.

Morgan said microwaves can cause eye damage.

[Dr. Robert O. Becker] also recommends against using florescent lights, especially desk lamps, because they generate much stronger fields than incandescent bulbs. Morgan said people must balance uncertain EMF risks against flourescent lighting's energy efficiency.