Overhead
Power Lines and Electric Fields Can Kill
Perhaps
the most dangerous, damaging form of pollution facing Americans every
minute of every day is invisible, soundless, and cannot be touched or
felt. It is electromagnetic field radiation (EMF) and it is emanating
from virtually every single electrical appliance, computer, electric
wire, and especially high voltage lines (overhead and buried), which
are carrying current. EMF is specifically causing cancer in children
and in older adults and may be triggering countless other immune
deficiency and psychological diseases and disorders in anyone in close
proximity. Make no mistake about it: electric fields are bad news for
your health and can be killers.
The
government of Sweden funded an official, massive study of the effects
of electric fields from overhead power lines on 500,000 people over a
period of 25 years and found overwhelming evidence that electric
fields generated cancer in children at 4 times the normal rate and
tripled the rate in adults. Sweden lists electromagnetic fields (EMF)
as Class 2 Carcinogens, right along with tobacco.
As
far back as 1979, University of Colorado epidemiologist Nancy
Wertheimer, Ph.D., firmly established a connection between low-voltage
power lines in residential neighborhoods and instances of childhood
leukemia. Her study showed that children living near these ordinary
backyard variety power lines had three times the likelihood of
developing childhood cancer. Larger gauge, high voltage transmission
lines pose a much greater danger than typical backyard lines. Since
then, many other studies have confirmed her findings and substantiated
the link between 60hz AC electromagnetic radiation and increased risk
of leukemia, lymphomas, and cancer of the brain and nervous system.
Many scientists warn people not to live within 200 yards of high
voltage power lines. Of 35 international research studies on electric
field radiation, 33 established a conclusive link between brain
tumors, leukemia, and other forms of cancer.
Scientists
in Russia have done more studies on EMF than any other country and for
decades have been reporting that electric fields cause high blood
pressure, chronic stress effects, immune system dysfunction, changes
in white and red blood cell counts, increased metabolism, chronic
fatigue disorders, and headaches.
In
1990, The American Journal of Epidemiology published a study on the
use of electric blankets which demonstrated "a quadrupling in the
risk of brain tumors among children whose mothers slept under electric
blankets during the first trimester of pregnancy."
Other
studies report a clear linkage between EMF exposure and illnesses such
as immune disorders, brain wave modification, and many other serious
physical and psychological abnormalities and deficiencies.
60hz
Alternating Current (AC)
Our
electricity is primarily derived from 60hz AC which create an EMF that
penetrates every cell in the body. The primary health risks caused by
EMF's result from the conversion of AC electricity into a DC pattern
of energy. The actual conversion of AC electricity into DC is
primarily accomplished by the use of transformers and electric motors.
Overhead
power lines and 'step-down' transformers present the biggest dangers
to the average citizen. Step-down transformers look like large metal
canisters and are found hanging on many utility poles and are commonly
seen throughout residential neighborhoods. Electric motors are found
everywhere from vacuum cleaners to hair dryers to refrigerators.
In
the U.S., the EPA states that an electromagnetic field of only one
milligauss is the maximum safe level of exposure. However, some
Russian researchers assert that an electric field of only 1/1000th
milligauss should be the maximum permissible exposure.
By
these standards, we are all in big trouble. We are exposed to EMF 24
hours a day from electric shavers (14-1600 milligauss), hair dryers
(3-1400 milligauss), electric blankets (extremely dangerous), TV's,
stereos, VCR's, radios, computers, copiers, toasters, ovens, electric
heaters, all electric appliances, microwaves, lamps, fluorescent
lighting, dimmer switches, home and office wiring, electric
toothbrushes, and waterbed heaters (all of which use AC to DC
conversion for their operation). Many of these electronic devices are
used intermittently and that is why consistent exposure to overhead
high voltage power lines is considered the most dangerous of all.
There
is also major electric field and extreme low frequency radiation (ELF)
of many kinds being emitted from military installations, industrial
machines, TV and radio transmitters, microwave transmission systems,
cellular phones, high voltage power lines, and dozens of other
sources. In fact, we live in a virtual fish bowl of radiation; a chaos
of random photon bombardment which affects every living cell of the
human body.
The
Vulnerable Human Body
Human
beings are, in reality, bio-electric machines usually operating at
between 2 and 12 hz. Normal household current is 60hz and is
completely incompatible and disruptive to the body's natural electric
frequency range, neural transmission system, and its sensitive neuro-chemical
equilibrium. 60hz electromagnetic radiation penetrates the entire body
and brain 24 hours a day.
Each
cell in the body contains positive and negatively charged elements
that are kept in a delicate balance on the inside and outside of the
cell wall. Electromagnetic, ELF, and microwave radiation disorders and
disrupts this critical balance and plays havoc with the millions of
electrical impulses that the body uses to regulate all cellular
activity. The random and unorganized photons radiating from these
fields also act as electromagnetic 'free radicals' which are often
stored in cells as significant electrostatic charges which can cause
major dysfunction at the cellular, molecular, and atomic levels.
Have
you ever been in a car and driven under a high voltage power line and
had your radio sound drowned out by static electricity? The human body
takes the very same kind of punishment in the car, home, and office
from the numerous sources of electric radiation which abound
everywhere. And speaking of cars: many of them produce electric field
radiation in the area of the front seat which can be two to three
times stronger than EMF from some home appliances.
The
reports of death and disease caused by electric field exposure are
prolific; 11 of 65 workers on the first floor of a telephone company
developed cancer from the electric field generated by a mass of
electrical equipment housed in a room adjacent to their office; a San
Francisco elementary school had 22 cases of cancer among the staff who
worked in the front of the building near with overhead high voltage
lines and four pole-mounted transformers outside; and clinical
research showed human cancer cells in a lab experiment exposed to 60
hz (household variety) electric fields proliferated and within one
week were cloning six times as fast as normal.
Furthermore,
UCLA studies showed that electric field radiation on animals caused
changes in the firing rate of brain cells, changes in their EEG's and
lowered behavior scores on repeat testing; permanent changes in
learning ability have been documented. Short term memory impairment
has been reported on subjects exposed to common 60hz fields and an
American study showed a 300% increase in brain tumors in children
whose mothers used electric blankets during pregnancy. Even many
police departments have banned the use of hand-held radar guns because
of the proven link between long term EMF exposure from these devices
and cancer among police officers who use them.
The
Bedroom Is Often the Most Dangerous
Place In the Home
A
good night's sleep. For many, it has been years since they have been
able to use that expression. Tired of laying awake nights? Tired of
waking up 'half-dead' in the morning? Tired of taking sleeping pills
and tranquilizers to sleep? If so, you are not alone. There are from
20-70 million chronic insomniacs in the U.S. and millions more who
sleep poorly.
After
a rough night of tossing and turning, the gritting and grinding of
teeth, having nightmares, sweating, suffering through muscle cramps
and spasms, millions of these people will get up and drag themselves
through the day in near exhaustion, working at levels far below normal
efficiency. Lost productivity in the U.S. from poor sleep runs into
the billions. And how many accidents on the road are caused by fatigue
and poor sleep?
Many
researchers and scientists now feel that electromagnetic field
radiation, both from within and without the bedroom, is the single
biggest factor in poor sleep. And poor health. Look around your
bedroom. Is there a clock radio on the nightstand near your pillow? A
tv? A stereo? Do you see an electric blanket? Are there high voltage
power lines with close to your residence? All or any of these electric
sources can ruin your sleep and can substantially increase your risk
of developing cancer and any number of diseases, both psychological
and physical.
While
you sleep, your body relaxes and is unconscious. In this state of
vulnerability, research indicates you are 100-150 times more open to
the damage of electromagnetic radiation that when you are awake.
Children are often up to 1,000 times more sensitive to these fields
when they are asleep. That TV screen in your bedroom will radiate
energy all night...even after it has been unplugged. It can take hours
or even days for the built-up voltage in the television to dissipate.
The
worst of all electrical bedroom appliances are clock radios, electric
alarm clocks, electric blankets, and waterbed heaters. Scientists have
established that a simple clock radio or electric alarm clock on the
night stand near your head can radiate an electromagnetic field into
your brain and body that can cause very serious problems health
problems.
Electric
blankets radiate fields over 70,000 times higher than normal
acceptable levels. If you insist on using an electric blanket, warm
your bed and then unplug it before you retire for the night. Do not
leave it plugged in while you sleep, even if it is turned off. Outside
high voltage power lines continually radiate EMF 24 hours a day.
A
Siege of Electromagnetic Radiation
Ever
since Thomas Edison energized the first electric power plant in 1882,
humanity has made ever increasing use of electricity. The result is
that we now live in a sea of dangerous and deadly electromagnetic
radiation that we cannot sense and has never before existed on the
earth. This massive onslaught of new radiation is causing stress,
disease, and other harmful and destructive effects the world over by
interfering with the most basic levels of the bodyıs cells and
especially the human brain.
Specifically,
the human brain (and the brains of all living things) evolved and has
been regulated over a period of 3 billion years by the earth's
naturally-occurring narrow band of extreme low frequency radiation,
commonly known as ELF. Throughout history, this narrow range of
frequency occurred only in the 1-30 Hertz range and was produced by
the natural resonance of the earth's surface. The only other
electromagnetic radiation of any magnitude was in the 1,000 HZ range
which is produced during lightning discharges in storms. The remainder
of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum was empty. There was nothing
there!
It
does not require great insight to realize that the vast new spectrum
of electromagnetic radiation that has been unleashed on humanity in
the last 100 years is overwhelming, highly-destructive, and disruptive
on a scale unprecedented over a period of 3 billion years (the
potential use of electromagnetic radiation to control and influence
the psychological behavior and health of human beings has not been
lost on the military-industrial complex either. But thatıs another
story).
In
summary, the research done in the common 60hz range (household
current) has demonstrated repeatedly that electromagnetic radiation
can cause serious, sometimes fatal disease, major psychological and
physical stress, and changes in hormones, body weight, and blood
chemistry. EMF-induced decreases in immune competency alone have
contributed to a wide range of illnesses and psychological disorders
that have resulted in vast suffering, loss of productivity, and
shortened lives. The current epidemic of numerous degenerative
diseases including cancer and leukemia and other immune dysfunctions
is not purely coincidental and often relates directly to the
catastrophic effects of uncontrolled electromagnetic radiation in our
ever-declining environment.
In
the summer of 1996, a U.S. Federal Court ruled that citizens may not
bring suit against electric power companies over electromagnetic
radiation emissions.
Dr.
David Carpenter, dean of public health at SUNY in Albany, N.Y., headed
the utility industry's New York Power Lines Project, a five million
dollar review of the carcinogenicity of magnetic fields. According to
Dr. Carpenter, "The Savitz study changed my entire view of the
field, and it has enormous implications." Fortune Magazine wrote:
"Based of those results, he estimates that up to 30% of all
childhood cancers may be attributable to ELF fields."
"That's conservative," Dr. Carpenter added.
Health
Hazards Associated with EMF and Women
Breast
Cancer Risk in Women: Occupational Exposure to 60-HertzMagnetic
Fields-147 reports from 115 independent studies- Summary was that
associations with breast cancer were found- strongest for women who
worked in offices and in the telephone industry. For example, women
electrical engineers have a 73% greater risk of dying from breast
cancer.
Breast
Cancer- Science News reported that risk is elevated by 43% for woman
who work in high exposure fields Also, one study in which they found
no significant increase in cancer rates among computer users was
faulted because it didn't do any direct measurements of EMF exposure,
rather, they just asked the women what they did for work.
"Different offices can have varying degrees of exposure",
stated Harvard School of Public Health Epidemiologist, Dr.
Trichopoulos. For this reason their findings were suspect.
Decreased
Melantonin and Breast Cancer- Researchers at the Pacific NW Lab in
Richland, Washington, found that reduced concentrations of melatonin
can spur breast cancer. Science Journal reported exposure to EMF
reduces the pineal glands nighttime secretion of melatonin
.
Male Breast
Cancer- seen in men who work in electrical industry. Findings reported
by the National Cancer Institute, 1994.
Elevated
Prostate Cancer and Leukemia Incidence Seen in Airline Pilots-
Canadian
researcher found incidents of prostate cancer and acute myeloid
leukemia significantly increased among airline pilots. This is
associated with in-flight ionizing radiation exposures including
ionizing radiation, benzene and electromagnetic fields (EMFs)."
Cancer
Rates Among English Electrical Workers- Compared to the normal
population, there was an increase in malignant brain tumors for women,
and all leukemia's and tumors for men.
Occupational
Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer- Occupations of patients with
pathologically confirmed prostate cancer were interviewed. Increased
risk for prostate cancer was associated with employment as aircraft
fabricator, railway transport worker, metal product fabricator,
structural metal erector, electrical power worker, and water transport
worker. *All these occupations use equipment which is electrically
run, and is producing EMFs, many of which are being held right in
front of the abdominal area for use.
Cancer
Morbidity in Occupationally Exposed Military Personnel- Rates of
cancer incidence in Polish military personnel exposed to
radiofrequency (RF)/microwave radiation were increased over rates for
non-exposed personnel. From 1980-85 new electronic equipment was
introduced. There was a doubled incidence of all cancers, a tripling
of cancers of the alimentary tract, 6-fold increase in blood and
lymphatic cancers in 20-59 year old personnel.
Adverse
Health Effect from Radiofrequency Radiation Exposure- A Summary of
past research: Among health effects found were: blood abnormalities,
genetic (chromosomal) abnormalities, leukemia, cancers of female
reproductive system in US Embassy females exposed to RF in Moscow,
decreased white and red blood cells (needed for your immune system)
among radar- exposed technicians at Zagreb airport, lymphatic and
hematopoietic cancers among US Navy personnel, cluster of leukemia
among Hawaiian children living near a Navel broadcast facility.
In
June 1988 lightning struck again. Northern California Kaiser
Permanente Medical Program, in a study of 1,583 women, found women who
worked over 20 hours a week at VDTs had 80 percent higher miscarriage
risk. Offspring of women who used VDTs had higher birth defect rates,
but this wasn't statistically significant. The report in American
Journal of Industrial Medicine stated, "Ours is the first
epidemiological evidence with substantial numbers of pregnant VDT
operators to suggest VDTs may increase miscarriage risk. Implications
of this are as yet unkown. No biological mechanism has been
postulated. Our data suggests the need for further studies."
EMF
Exposure and Children
Miscarriages
and Computers- Kaiser Permanente study determined that women who
worked more than 20 hours a week with VDU's miscarried at a rate 80%
higher than women who did the same work without VDU's.
VDU's
and Fetuses- Animal studies in Sweden have found that EMF similar to
that emitted by VDU's caused malformation in fetuses.
Miscarriages
Among Female Physical Therapists Who Report using Radio and
Microwave-Frequency Radiation- Johns Hopkins University researchers
report that physical therapists who are exposed to microwave (but not
short-wave) diathermy units while pregnant, have an increased risk of
miscarriage.
Occupational
Risks for Female Breast Cancer- The highest occupational risks jobs
associated with female breast cancer were women employed as office
workers, engineers, and technicians in the telephone industry, but
that not enough studies have been done on other occupations to have
this be a complete list.
Occupation
and Pregnancy Outcome- Low birth weight was associated with woman who
operated electrical equipment as their occupation
Perinatal
Depression- Women who lived within 100 meters of power lines at 132kV
and above experience a statistically higher incident of perinatal
depression. Study was done in England using 11,292 women.
EMF
and Sex-Distribution of Offspring- Children born near a high voltage
power station in Baghdad were 87% girls, and 13% boys. Author suggests
high female percentages might also be related to the same percentages
seen in offspring of lymphoma patients. Speculations are that EMF
exposure interferes with calcium and this in turn affects the Y-
bearing sperm (male) more than the x-bearing sperm motility.
Association Between Childhood Cancer and Magnetic Fields from Ground
Current Sources- University of North Carolina researchers concluded
the risk of cancer is increased among persons with increased magnetic
field exposures from residential ground currents (the currents flow
through plumbing lines into the home from grounding conductors off
power poles)
Psychophysical
Functioning of Children Living near a Radio Location Station- In
Latvia, 609 children living within a 20-km radius of a RF producing
Radio Location Station were found to have reduced motor reactions,
memory and attention skills in comparison with children who lived
father away than this from the station.
Childhood
Leukemia and EMF Exposure- Excess risk of leukemia found for children
who lived in homes close by to heavy duty distribution lines. Done by
Dr. Nancy Wertheimer in Denver.
Government
Statements about EMF's
In
1990, an EPA draft report recommended that EMF's be considered a Class
B carcinogen. This class included formaldehyde, DDT, dioxins, and
PCB's. In a later watered down version, the reference to Class B was
deleted, with an explanation that said the basic interaction between
EM fields and biological interactions leading to cancer are not
understood. Yet, in the same report, they suggest there is a causal
link between leukemia, lymphoma and cancer in children with exposure
to magnetic fields from residential 60hertz distribution systems! One
must wonder how these two contrasting statements coexist in the same
report.
In
1989, the Electric Power Research Institute praised the methodology of
a power line study which linked leukemia, prostate and other cancers
in young men with chronic exposure to magnetic fields.
In
November, 1989, the Department of Energy reported that "It has
now become generally accepted that there are indeed. Biological
effects due to (magnetic) field exposure."
VDU's
and Chickens-In 1976, scientists at Loma Linda demonstrated that
exposure to weak levels of EMF could slow outflow of calcium from
chicken brains. Effects of this were studied by EPA and US Navy. They
found a significant increase in the number of abnormal embryos who
were exposed too magnetic fields similar to VDU magnetic fields.
Abnormalities resulted in lower birth weights and birth defects.
If your in high EMF/RF RADIATION areas or
if PREGNANT take B12 or
FOLIC ACID to help your body maintain repairs from EMF affects !!!!!
By 1976, Adey had proven that weak EM directly
affects the central nervous system, and theorized that ELF
oscillations of protein-calcium strands are cell-to-cell
communication. Weak ELF EM alters calcium movement in cell membranes
to change neural chemical action.
Geomagnetism
contains other specific frequencies -- some so small they're called
micropulsations -- in a range of one to 30 hz. Geomagnetism resonates
at ELF in the hollow cavity formed by Earth's surface and the
ionosphere; most pulsation occurs at seven to 10 hz. Years ago it
occurred to young medical researcher Robert Becker that this is in the
same ELF range as human brainwaves: alpha, delta and theta.
In
his study of biocycles, Rutger Wever at the Max Planck Institute in
Germany built underground rooms to isolate people from all clues to
time, including light, heat, air pressure -- and EM. People
disconnected from geomagnetism completely desynchronized, but a tiny
electric field pulsed at 10 hz restored normal patterns. Wever was
able to show that synchronization of biorhythms is coupled to ELF
geomagnetic pulsations.
But
Wever didn't know how this sensing occurred. Only in the last decade
did scientists discover an insignificant gland at the geometric center
of the brain is our biological timekeeper. The pineal gland, no bigger
than your little fingernail, is named for its pine cone shape. This
tiny, dark bud of tissue atop the brain stem is now believed to be the
master endocrine gland.
The
pineal yields a pharmacopoia of psychoactive chemicals to regulate all
our glands. It also secretes neurohormones -- melatonin, serotonin,
dopamine -- to regulate brain operations. The sleep-wake cycle depends
on the level of pineal melatonin. Melatonin secretion can be changed
by magnetic exposure at the level of geomagnetism. The pineal is our
magnetic gland to read geomagnetic pulsations and translate them to
hormones to drive our biocycles. This suggests how powerline ELF
magnetism can disrupt our biorhythms.
