RE Non-ionizing Radition

[VERNIG.PETER@FORUM.VA.GOV]

the local chapter of HPS [Centeral Rocky Mt. Chapter] had a good talk
several years ago.  I'm afraid I don't recall the speaker.  But the gist
was as follows.
 
The first study in the early or mid 70s I beleive, the researcher developed
an anolog for EM fields called wire coding or some such.  It was a numer-
ical scale 1-5 I beleive with 5 being close proximety to high tention lines
and 1 being the least exposure.  the criterian were not vague like I am,
I just don't remember the specifics.
 
The study showed a weak correlation between either childhood lukemia or
all child hood cancer.  This was determined over about a 10 year period
from death certificates.  Similar studies were done in this country and
others with similar results. At some point somebody did a follow up study
but was then able to measure the fields as well as use the surogate.
 
What was found was that MEASURED fields had NO CORRELATION and the wire
coding still had a weak correlation.  Again other studies were done and
results were again similar.
 
Conclusions:  The wire coding also correlated to something else that was
a player in initiating or promoting cancer.  Coding is generally lower in
newer neighborhoods because in the mid 70s power lines began to be buried.
Older neighborhoods cary a host of possibly detrimental factors, including
higher potential for lead in solder used in plumbing, inner City and on
and on.  The other potential which the speaker was investigating was that
Correlation might be to changes in fields.  The fields are not static,
they change with load and possibly other factors.
 
Anyway, that is a brief summary.
 
Regards all.
 
Peter G. Vernig, VA Medical Center, Denver
vernig.peter@forum.va.gov