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Cancer and Power Lines
Professor William Bennett, Professor of Physics, Yale University,
has written an article published in the April 1994 issue of
Physics Today. He was a member of the ORAU study group that produced
the report "Health Effects of Low-Frequency Electric and Magnetic
Fields."
The last paragraph of his Physics Today article, "Cancer and Power
Lines":
"It is my opinion that the dangers to human health from
low-level ELF fields have been exaggerated between beyond reason.
I base this conclusion on considerations ranging from the
underlying physics to the inconsistent epidemiological data
and lack of concrete biological results. It is appalling that
close to a billion dollars has already been spent on this problem.
I by no means conclude that no further research should be conducted
on biological interactions with ELF fields; however, nothing in the
available data suggests the need for any sort
of crash program. There are far more urgent things to support in
the present national concern over the economy, and unwarranted
hysteria could end up trivializing concern over legitimate
dangers to health such as cigarette smoking and the AIDS epidemic."
I think that Professor Bennett's opinion was supported, in some cases
unintentionally, by what I heard at the recent NCRP meeting.
LTC Bob Cherry, CHP