Re: Non-ionizing radiation

["Raymond A Hoover" <TOBEOR@inel.gov>]

The Wertheimer-Leeper study's protocol was to go into the neighborhood and
count the number of lines and the gauge of the wire (by visual observation)
and then assume that there was direct relationship with the magnetic field
strengths to be found in the houses.  It was, I believe part of some other
larger study (what that was I don't think I ever found out) and was
published independently by Wertheimer-Leeper.  When researchers actually
went in and measured the real field strengths in the houses no correlation
was found.  I remember thinking after reading their paper that it was a
poor study with a lot of weaknesses and should never have recieved the
attention it did recieve.  Additionally there was a paper published on the
same subject by some reasearchers in Connecticut (I think) about 5 years
ago, that  used the same protocols as Wertheimer-Leeper for a location in
the Northeast, for which no correlation was found.  Naturally, the second
study recieved no attention in the media.




Ruth Weiner <rfweine@sandia.gov> on 04/21/98 12:37:44 PM

Please respond to radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu


To:   Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
cc:    (bcc: Raymond A Hoover/TOBEOR/LMITCO/INEEL/US)
Subject:  Re: Non-ionizing radiation






The "bottom line" seems to be that no one has been able to demonstrate a
consistent dose-response relationship between the magnetic field generated
by AC
and any kind of cancer.  I seem to recall an issue of either HEALTH PHYSICS
or
RISK ANALYSIS devoted to the subject, about 2 years ago. Bonneville did a
thorough animal study and found nothing. The Wertheimer- Leeper study,
which is
often cited by those who want to think EM radiation gives one cancer,
purported
to find clusters of childhood leukemias in neighborhoods where ther was a
visual
proximity to power lines (that is, the power lines looked to be close to
those
houses where the childen had leukemia...).  Further investigation of these
neighborhooods could not find a correlation between magnetic field and
leukemia.
 Also, the magnetic,field dose from an ordinary AC appliance (hair dryer,
electric blanket, etc) is usually a lot more than from a powerline, because
the
receptor is a lot closer to the appliance.

I thought the issue was dead.

Clearly only my own opinion

Ruth F. Weiner
Transportation Systems Department
Sandia National Laboratories
505-844-4791
fax 505-844-0244
rfweine@sandia.gov


______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: Non-ionizing radiation
Author:  kfischer@exchange.nih.gov at hubsmtp
Date:    4/20/98 8:33 AM


Hello Radsafe...

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.  I realize this has come up before on Radsafe, but I never
paid
attention like I should have.

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:
http://www2.nas.edu/WHATSNEW/25ba.html
http://www.junkscience.com/news/nrc-emf.html

But some more research finds that not everyone is so convinced.  In fact,
some
believe that just the opposite is true -- the link between EM fields and
health
effects is unmistakable:
http://www.trufax.org/reports2/health.html

I'm no epidemiologist, so I wouldn't consider myself qualified to make a
judgment either way.  What is the consensus here on Radsafe?  I never
thought
there was any valid reason to believe that these claims were true, but is
there?

On a related subject, the non-ionizing radiation information links on the
Radiation and Health Physics Homepage are dead.  Can anyone recommend some
good
informational sites, especially for use by someone who is unfamiliar with
issues
relating to radiation (like a school teacher)?

Thanks for your interest,

Karl Fischer
Physical Science Technician, NIH
kwf@nih.gov