ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS UNDER TRANSMISSION LINES AND BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: EFFECTS AND/OR HAZARDS
Scientists have investigated the biological effects of electromagnetic fields for many years and generally agree that electromagnetic fields at frequencies well below that of visible light present a hazard whenever hey cause excess tissue heating. They as agree that transmission line field strengths at ground level are too low to cause excessive heating. Current U.S. standards for allowable exposure to microwave and radio frequency radiation safely protect against harmful heating, but no U.S. standards exist in regard to exposure to fields at powerline frequencies (60 Hz).
Some scientists believe that biological effects, not dependent on heating, may result from exposure to transmission line fields; however, the majority of scientists working in this area believe non thermal effects are highly unlikely. Such proposed-although not thoroughly demonstrated-behavioral and central nervous system effects have no explanation that is based on currently accepted biophysical theory. Many of the experiments reporting non thermal effects were performed in the Soviet Union and other European countries and reports on them frequently fail to supply adequate documentation of the experimental procedures. Because of this failure, scientists in the United States are not fully confident of Soviet findings. Thus, the scientific community disagrees about whether or not electromagnetic fields of the strengths found under UHV systems cause biological effects and/or hazards.
The continuing disagreement in the scientific community apparently results in public fear about possible dangers from electromagnetic fields under UHV systems. It is unfortunate that the public may interpret disagreement among scientists, a valid and integral part of the scientific process, as providing proof that a hazard exists.
Given this background, the hearings focus on three central questions:
In approximately 10,000 pages of testimony, these primary questions are addressed by the following eight principal witnesses, who are expert in a variety of scientific disciplines:
Although these brief biographies describe the credentials and the research backgrounds of the witnesses, the aspects of potential biological effects about which each witness testifies are not necessarily restricted to their specific research interests, as can be seen in the section on Interpretation of the Hearings.
The testimony focuses on experiments that some scientists claim demonstrate biological effects from exposure to electric, magnetic, or combined electromagnetic fields. The claimed biological effects include:
Testimony focuses on identifying experimental results that relate to these effects. The experts' views vary from claims that no effects exist (other than unimportant heating) to recommendations that the likelihood of hazards is sufficient to justify action by the NY Public Service Commission to halt construction of the proposed 765-kV lines. The witnesses express opinions about the likelihood of biological hazard and indicate their conclusions about whether the proposed lines should be constructed.
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