CURRENT CONCERNS:

Health Effects Update On Powerlines, Electrical Equipment & Other Aspects of Electromagnetic Fields.

• by James B. Beal (October 1996) EMF Interface Consulting.

Latest research (not influenced by electric company funding) indicates that your local power line is not the primary source of 'electromagnetic pollution'. Home and business interior wiring, equipment or appliance motor and transformer EMF sources, and grounding to metal pipes seem to play a much more important part, especially where we spend hours of our time in one place, working or sleeping.

The intensity of the alternating current (a.c.) and associated EMF present is only one of several factors to consider in a large number of environmental variables!

There appear to be trends in animal, primate, and human research over the years which indicate that continual long-term EMF exposure of individually-specific pulse rates, intensities and waveforms, may produce hypersensitive reactions in the living systems exposed [1-4, 7-10, 19, 21, 25, 26].

Persons already hyperallerginic to many chemicals claim that EMF sources from nearby powerlines, home appliances, transformers, and switches are one more irritating factor to avoid. These trends have caused popular concern, controversy and confusion, stimulating government, industry, and legal actions regarding the biological effects of power frequency electric and magnetic fields [15-18, 24].

Research programs are finally beginning to investigate the unwanted raw signals (transient spikes & surges) coming in on your local power lines or generated by home appliance and wiring. Interest is being focused on the sharp pulse repetition rates (how many times per second), and what other frequencies or waveforms are present besides the normal 60 cycle [also, called Hertz (Hz)] power line frequency.

Information about the length of exposure time, when the exposure occurs (especially at night), the EMF field intensity (milliGauss), and the interactions with people and other living systems in the environment is now being gathered. We are becoming more aware in recent months of the sensitivity of various life forms to EMF via their sensory system reactions [20], immune system effects [8.9], allergy reactions [10,21], etc. So it is not simply 60 Hz magnetic field strength, as indicated by a.c. milliGauss meters, that determines whether or not a given EMF will have biological effects.

Undesirable transients on the power line and in the home or business will vary, depending on what is switching on and off, how often, how long and when (day or night, weekdays or weekends). Five recent epidemiological studies in the United States and Sweden [6,14] have shown weak, but consistent, cancer correlations with proximity to transformers, the local wiring code and the number of appliances in the home. Because a specific subject EMF sensitivity profile has not been developed yet, it is likely that the weak epidemiological results were diluted by the overall test population chosen, and the variability in human immune system response to irritating stimuli.

Repetitious transients and surges (pulse spikes) are not only conducted from power lines into, but also created by, factors in home and business wiring, appliances and equipment. This repetitious long-term exposure may provide a kind of irritation or suppression factor, posing potential hazards to our health. EMF effects have been discovered, at night, reducing brain pineal melatonin hormone production, which affects immune system efficiency, especially in older persons [8,9].

These effects appear to be caused by the sharp rise and fall of the pulse spikes created by motors and switches (electric blanket thermostat switch, for example) turning on and off. That's the reason for 'prudent avoidance' of operating electric blankets and water bed heaters by children and pregnant women. Dr's Wilson and Reiter made these discoveries during the past year at Pacific Northwest Laboratory and University of Texas Health Science Center, respectively [7,8].

This points to a probable irritating or suppressing type of influence which would create symptoms in a variety of confusing ways, due to personal health and immune system factors [4]. Persons at risk would be those exposed for years in constant proximity to power line components (transformers, sub- stations), appliances (electric blankets, hair dryers), power tools, switching systems, and other sources of potential rapid transient (switching) EMF [1].

There is strong stimulus-response evidence, verified by eye pupil variations, that continual long-term exposure can result in allergic reactions to EMF of particular pulse rates, intensities and waveforms [10,21]. Environmentally ill (EI) persons with compromised immune systems, already hyper-allergic to many chemicals, often find that EMF transients are one more irritating factor to avoid.

As more data accumulates on what EMF factors are the most hazardous, precision line surge suppressors, current balancing transformers [23], for control of voltage and current transients, may become increasingly important. These methods will be beneficial, not only for computers and critical electronic systems, but also in improving our personal long-term health. These devices would be on power lines, in industries and in the home. Motors, switches and switching systems will have built-in rise time suppression circuits so spikes would eliminated or reduced. Proper grounding, and complete cut-off (pull the plug or breaker) of unused electrical systems are approaches used by EI persons now in their business, sleeping and major home activity areas.

Future Shock, Prizes and Surprises from Bioelectric and EMF Research:

There are many beneficial, as well as potentially hazardous, biological interactions with the artificial EMF and natural (geomagnetic) environments in which we live and work. It has long been established (30+ years) that electromagnetic therapies of controlled specific pulse-type (sharp rise time or square-wave) waveforms and pulse rate frequencies can produce visual [5} and hearing effects [22] (without lights or speakers), induce sleep and anesthesia, suppress pain, ease depression, improve tissue and bone growth healing [19] and successfully treat addictions to hard drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

The applications mentioned above are considered the body-penetrating effects of the magnetic field pulsing components and have been primarily conducted in other countries. Electromagnetic therapies appear to be rapidly emerging as the medicine of the future.

In this country the electric field is not considered a health factor, because it does not penetrate the body. However, note that the acupuncture system, found in all living things, is associated with healing. It is more primitive than the nerve system [19], and has discrete electrical components that change slowly with time. It appears to be affected by mind, body and environmental changes, and thus may respond to electric field changes (natural and artificial). Perhaps the acupuncture total body surface system acts as a sort of 'transceiver', transmitting and receiving subliminal information on many different levels about EMF variations (external and internal) which may then stimulate (or indicate) body, mind and healing reactions.

The information transmitted from the life processes of biosystems (microorganisms to elephants), plays a survival role in detection of food, enemies, and mates. The information transmitted to bio-systems from the natural earth (geomagnetic) environment also seems to play a survival role in navigation, migration, biological rhythms, and anticipation/detection of weather and earth changes, both subtle and catastrophic, e.g., seasonal variations, weather fronts, hurricane/tornado proximity, and earthquakes [2,3,20]. How much of this information do we humans use or react to unconsciously in our daily life and how much is latent talent which can be trained?

Consider the sensitivities of the Australian aborigines and martial arts masters. As understanding increases about our health dependence on natural and artificial EMF factors, our environmental awareness will be increased.

Thousands of research reports on bioeffects of low-power extremely low frequency (ELF) EMF, radio frequencies (RF) and modulated (mixed frequency) fields on humans and other living systems have been missed because they were not published in medical journals. Some of the best reports are in journals relating, not primarily to the research results, but to the methodologies involved, e.g., appearing in industrial, electronics, physics, communications, life sciences, and obscure specialty publications [3,4,6,12,13,20,21,25]. How does one publish original research in a new area with few or no peers available for 'peer review', as required in the established medical and scientific journals?

In addition, the physical and mental problems reported for the phenomenon known as 'sick building syndrome'(11) may involve long-term exposure to variations and mixtures of ELF/EMF along with improper light spectrum balance, and low frequency sound or vibrations, as well as poor air circulation and chemical irritants/pollutants.

Sensitive, inexpensive, portable EMF measuring, recording, imaging and analysis systems have recently evolved from space and satellite research programs. The use of Expert Systems to process large numbers of variables, miniaturized 'smart' sensors for continuous monitoring, and high- resolution imaging systems, now provide us the opportunity to study the long-term, low exposure rate, multi-faceted, complex challenges to health that are being encountered in this culture.

NOTE: See "Bioelectromagnetics: Health Effects Update About Powerlines, Electrical Equipment & Other Aspects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)," (1996 Edition-32 pages), edited by James Beal, for more details and references about health research, and applications of bioelectromag-netics, epidemiological results, EMF and environmental illness, detection and prudent avoidance of strong fields, and EMF Hypersensitivity.

Mr. Beal may be contacted at: 5500 Prytania, #406, New Orleans, LA, U.S.A. 70115. Ph. 504-865-8556

e-mail: EMFEFFECTS@aol.com.

 (*References for the above article available from EMFacts Information Service, e-mail: emfacts@tassie.net.au or via our snail-mail address on the Home Page.)