Re: Non-ionizing radiation

["John Moulder" <jmoulder@post.its.mcw.edu>]

> A recent discussion with an elementary school teacher has prompted me 
> to do some informal research on the old subject of potential 
> health effects of living near power lines.... 
>  
> So I found the NAS press release and executive summary, which 
> conclude that there is no threat the human health from exposure to 
> EM fields... 
>  
> But some more research finds that not everyone is so convinced....

The net as just as unreliable a source of info on non-ionizing as it is 
on ionizing.  The non-ionizing area has its equivalents of Sternglass 
and Gould.  So, you had better be very skeptical of info that is not 
from peer-reviewed sources.

On the net, I would suggest:
http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop.html

At this site I attempt to not only summarize the science, but to provide 
a guide to the literature so you can mske up your own mind.

> I'm no epidemiologist, so I wouldn't consider myself qualified to make 
> a judgment either way.  What is the consensus here on Radsafe?...

What make you think that the average reader of RadSafe knows the lit 
well enough to have an informed opinion (:
 
> On a related subject, the non-ionizing radiation information links on 
> the Radiation and Health Physics Homepage are dead. 

Bruce:  is there a problem??

Several things to keep in mind when reading the literature
- if environmental power-frequency field do cause health effects 
the mechanism is unknown, and hence we do not know how to define dose.
- many quoted "effects" of power-frequecnt fields have failed 
multiple attempt at replication, so make sure that effects you read 
about are real.
- power-frequency fields (and most types of non-ionizing radiations 
and fields) are clearly hazardous when the intensity is high enough.
- while most scientists have concluded that environmental 
power-frequency fields are not carcinogens, mutagens or teratogens, 
they are clearly potent litgens

------------------------------------
John Moulder (jmoulder@its.mcw.edu)
Maintainer:  Powerlines & Cancer FAQs, 
             Static EM Fields and Cancer FAQs
             Cell Phone Antennas & Health FAQ
USENET: sci.med.physics, sci.answers, news.answers.
http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/