August 7, 2006

Mr. David McMurrey, Chairman
Lakewood Township Zoning Board
Municipal Building
233 Third Street
Lakewood, New Jersey 08701

Dear Mr. McMurrey:

As per our January 14th agreement, I have enclosed the report entitled Electromagnetic Fields: Technical Background and Public Health Effects.

The purpose for this report is to provide the zoning board members an understanding of what electromagnetic fields are, how they are produced, where they exist, and how they impact on our health. The report concludes with currently accepted prudent avoidance levels.

I hope this report will prove to be satisfactory.

Respectfully,

Michael Skates

Attachment: report

Report
on the

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS

by
Michael Skates

Report
on the

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF

ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS

Submitted to:
Mr. David McMurrey
Chairman, Lakewood Township Zoning Board
Lakewood, New Jersey

February 1, 2002

by
Michael Skates

This report examines the sources for electromagnetic fields and their impact on human and animal health. A description of terms and measurements is provided, the electric industry transmission and distribution system is detailed, and the health impact is documented. Prudent avoidance levels are presented at the conclusion.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract...... i

Introduction...... 1

I.The Fundamentals of Energy ...... 2

What is Energy? ...... 2

How to Read the Electromagnetic Spectrum...... 2

Electromagnetic Fields: What They Are...... 3

Measurements and Terms...... 4

II.The Electric-Utility System...... 6

Transmission System...... 6

Distribution System...... 6

III.Where Electromagnetic Fields Exist...... 8

Nature’s Electromagnetic Fields...... 8

EMFs at Home...... 9

IV.The Body’s Electrical System...... 10

Medical Studies...... 10

Cancer and EMFs...... 10

Pregnancy and EMFs...... 11

Birth Defects and EMFs...... 12

SIDS and EMFs ...... 13

Childhood Cancers and EMFs...... 14

Adults and EMFs ...... 15

V.Electromagnetic Environment...... 17

High-Current Homes...... 17

How Close is Too Close?...... 17

What is a Safe Level?...... 18

Appendixes

A.The Electromagnetic Spectrum...... 22

B. EPA Tables...... 22

C. INFORMATION SOURCES...... 22

LIST OF FIGURES

FigurePage

1. Electric and Magnetic Fields in Floor-Lamp...... 15

2. Electrical Transmission and Distribution System...... 355

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

All of life, as well as the fundamental building blocks of non-living materials, is the manifestation of atoms in motion and the energy produced from the atom’s movement. Atoms are the smallest units of all matter; within the atom are smaller units still, called electrons and protons. Electrons move up and down in different orbits within an atom or molecule when they are excited. The movement of the electrons releases energy in various forms, such as light, heat, sound, electricity, and nuclear activity.

Electromagnetic field is the term used to describe electric and magnetic fields. Electric fields exist whenever electric charges are present. A magnetic field is produced whenever there is electrical current flowing in a conductor or wire.

Power reaches our homes and workplaces through a network called the transmission and distribution system. The transmission system part of the network includes the huge generating plants that gather power through hydroelectric processes, burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal, or nuclear fission. The distribution side is made up of substations and the poles and lines that run through our neighborhoods.

It would appear that every living thing is tuned in to the earth’s electromagnetic back-ground and utilizes it for a variety of purposes. Electromagnetism is inherent in the human anatomy: every time a muscle moves, there are electrical discharges.

That there are biological effects from electromagnetic fields, no one in any scientific discipline disputes. There are currently 350,000 miles of transmission lines in the United States, and approximately 2 million miles of distribution lines. Virtually everyone is exposed to 60-hertz fields. There is no such thing as a nonexposed population—it is just a question of degree. The only debate centers on whether there are long-range adverse health effects. Hundreds of animal and human studies investigating the 60-hertz frequency have been made in the last few decades. Approximately thirty studies have found adverse health effects for occupational EMF exposures.

Unfortunately, a true “safe” magnetic field exposure is still unclear. Researchers are still debating what they are supposed to be measuring, because no one knows what the detrimental element in the electromagnetic equation is. Those who have examined the medical literature recommend trying to minimize exposures to around the 1-milligauss level—knowing full well that even this may turn out to be too high. This is still evolving knowl-edge, but the 1-milligausss level is where the least bioeffects have been observed; 2 milligauss and up are the levels at which various detrimental associations begin to appear.

Report on the
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS

I. INTRODUCTION

High-power tension wires are everywhere and the electromagnetic fields that radiate form them have been an issue for many years. The awesome towers, and the electric transmission wires that they support, often spark heated debate. The electric-supply industry is ever expanding to meet commercial and residential electricity needs, while communities have fought expansion for the health—or the perceived health—implications associated from electromagnetic exposure.

Here in Lakewood, the local electric power company, GPU, is applying for permits to expand the Randolph Substation. This certainly means an increase of high-power tension wires brought into the substation and possibly increased electromagnetic fields in the residential neighborhoods bordering the substation.

This report has been compiled for the zoning board members at the request of the board chairman. In order to effectively vote on the substation expansion, a thorough understanding of electromagnetism is necessary. This report will explain: what energy is and how to read the electromagnetic spectrum; what electromagnetic fields are, how they are measured, and where they exist; how the electric-utility system works; the human body’s electrical system and how electromagnetic fields affect it; and how far one should stay from high-tension power lines.

The author assumes the board members do not have any prior understanding of electromagnetism and has structured the report accordingly. This report does not make any recommendations; the board members are expected to draw their own conclusions from the material presented herein.

II. FUNDAMENTALS OF ENERGY

All of life, as well as the fundamental building blocks of non-living materials, is the manifestation of atoms in motion and the energy produced from the atom’s movement. Even something as seemingly solid as a table, when observed at the molecular level, is a grouping of atoms in motion. An understanding of energy will help us grasp the effects of electromagnetic fields.

What Is Energy?

Atoms are the smallest units of all matter. Within the atom are smaller units still, called electrons and protons. What makes one object different from another is the number of electrons its atoms have in orbit around the center of the atom, which is called the nucleus. Atoms can combine into larger aggregate groups, called molecules, by lending, trading, or sharing their electrons.

Electrons can move up and down in different orbits within an atom or molecule when they are “excited”. The movement of the electrons releases energy in various forms, such as light, heat, sound, electricity, and nuclear activity, to name a few.

Energy does not remain motionless; rather, it radiates. Radiationis the term used to describe energy in motion radiating away from its source. Energy’s movement is expressed in wavelengths calculated along what is called the electromagnetic spectrum. There are many wavelength magnitudes along the spectrum: the earth’s own natural pulsations, electric power, visible light, and cosmic events are some.

The electromagnetic spectrum is divided into ionizing and nonionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation consists of very short wavelengths (like X-rays), which have enough power to excite electrons into mass disarray. The energy released from the electrons’ movement is enough to cause permanent damage to a human on the cellular level, such as cancer or genetic mutations. Nonionizingradiation consists of longer wavelengths with generally less power.

Energy is directly related to the inverse of the wavelength: the longer the wave, the less energy it creates; the shorter the wave, the more energy it creates. Although less powerful, nonionizing radiation is capable of causing a host of biological effects, so it is far from harmless. It is the nonionizing bands that are the focus of this report.

How to Read the Electromagnetic Spectrum

A common way of depicting the electromagnetic spectrum is shown in Appendix A. The numbers on the left column of the spectrum represent the number and size of wavelengths per second of a particular frequency. Wavelengths are measured in hertz(Hz), named after the German physics professor Heinrich Hertz, who demonstrated that “action at a distance” was possible without a connecting wire. In other words, he proved that energy

exists at a distance from its source. Hertz also showed that energy moved in wavelengths that oscillated along the electromagnetic spectrum. Hertz’s discoveries led directly to Guglielmo Marconi’s invention of the wireless telegraph in 1896, which would forever change the world.

Frequencyis the term used to describe the fluctuation per second of a wavelength. For instance, one fluctuation per second would be a 1-hertz frequency field. As the illustration in Appendix A shows, the wavelength of electricity is long and comparatively weak in energetic force in relation to those of cosmic rays and X-rays, which are very short and strong.

Electromagnetic Fields: What They Are

Electromagnetic fieldis the term used to describe electric and magnetic fields. But each has different properties that need to be understood separately, even though they are considered inseparable, as one will create the other.

Electric fields. In general, a fieldis defined as a space in which energy exists. A heat field, for example, is what exists around a crackling fire or a burning light bulb. Electric fields exist whenever electric charges are present, that is, whenever electricity or electrical equipment is in use. The strength of electric fields increases or decreases according to the voltage.

Voltageis the potential ability in the energy field. Voltage can be understood when xplaining static electricity, or what happens when you get a shock from walking on carpet n stocking feet and then touch a metal object. Dragging your feet across a carpet produces static field—an area where static energy exists. In a static field, electrons are moved rom one place to another rather than flowing in a line of current, thus producing pent-up, potential energy. The positive and negative charges become separated over some distance. If you touch a conductive object, a shock will occur as the electric current flows through, returning the separated electric charges back to a neutral state. The longer you drag your feet on the carpet, the further the charges move away from each other (the higher the voltage), the bigger the shock (the more energy) you will receive when the electrons return to their neutral state.

Magnetic fields.A magnetic field is produced whenever there is electrical current flowing in a conductor or wire. All magnetic fields run perpendicular to electrical current. In other words, while electric currents run in straight lines, magnetic fields surround the line in circular fashion. In Figure 1, electric and magnetic fields are depicted in a typical floor-lamp. When the electricity is turned off, there is no magnetic field, although an electric field will still exist to some extent in any wire or conductor.

Measurements and Terms

Voltage is the potential of electrical energy in a line, while the current is the movement of electrical charge through the line. Electrical potential is measured in volts (V) or kilovolts (kV). Current is measured in amperes (amps).

Electric power, which is the product of voltage and current, is measured in watts (after James Watt). Watts are calculated by multiplying the current by the voltage. Electric fields are measured in volts per meter (V/m) or, when large amounts are described as those used in high-tension transmission, kilovolts (1,000 volts) per meter (kV/m) is used.

Magnetic fields are measured in teslas (T), named after Nicholas Tesla, and in gauss (G), named after Karl Gauss, the nineteenth-century German pioneer in magnetism. (One tesla= ten thousand gauss).

Not all frequencies, waves, or fields are alike, nor is their impact on living organisms the same. In America, electricity operates at 60 hertz (Hz) of alternating current (AC), which is in the extremely low frequency (ELF) range. A hertz is the measurement of the rate of fluctuation of the current. Sixty hertz of alternating current reverses itself (fluctuates) 120 times a second, making 60 complete cycles per second. As noted earlier, the higher the frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum, the shorter the wavelength. The shorter the wavelength, the more readily it is absorbed by living things. And the more readily absorbed, the more likely are biological interactions. For instance, a human being absorbs about one trillion times less energy from the long waves of a 60-hertz power-line field than from a 60-megahertz television frequency field. Also, the lower the power and the longer the wavelength, the less that power is radiated away. High-frequency radio and TV transmission towers radiate significant amounts of energy, whereas power lines radiate far less.

It is important to note that laypeople often confuse the energy created around high-tension lines with the radio frequency radiation near broadcast towers, but the two behave quite differently. Radio-frequency radiation (10 9 Hz or 1 gigahertz frequency) “radiates” away from its source and remains strong at a distance; the energy around high-tension lines (60 hertz frequency) “decays” rapidly with distance.

III. ELECTRIC-UTILITY SYSTEM

Power reaches our homes and workplaces through a network called the transmission and

distribution system.

Transmission System

The transmissionsystem part of the network includes the huge generating plants that gather power through hydroelectric processes, such as Niagara Falls, through the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal, or through nuclear fission at nuclear-power plants. The voltage form these plants is immediately increased in step-up transformers and is moved along high-voltage transmission lines strung on tall, specially designed towers. When it reaches the community where it is needed, the voltage is decreased in step-down trans-formers in substations. The energy can then be used in local households and businesses through the distribution network.

Distribution System

The distributionside of the network is made up of substations and the poles and lines that

run through our neighborhoods. The distribution lines generally use lower current than the large transmission lines.

The distribution line is broken down into primary lines and secondary lines. The primary lines are mounted at the tops of poles, are thick, and are connected by insulators. Theycarry current to smaller step-down transformers, which may be pole mounted, encased in small metal structures at ground level, or sometimes buried. Step down transformersreduce the voltage of the primary lines so that the electricity will be usable in domestic wiring; otherwise there would be the danger of shock. Secondary lines are located slightly lower on the poles, and it is these that bring the current into the home at the service drop. Beyond the service drop the customer end of the network takes over. The illustration in Figure 2, “Electrical Transmission and Distribution System,” depicts the entire network.

IV. WHERE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS EXIST

Electromagnetic fields are not produced by high-power tension wires alone. Most of our daily exposure comes from the use of household appliances, computers at work, and the earth’s very own ambient electromagnetic field.

Nature’s Electromagnetic Fields

Science is increasingly coming to understand that all of life, including the most basic daily rhythms, like walking and sleeping, are affected by our interactions with nature’s intricate natural magnetic environment. Many now think that all living things are in a subtle—and sometimes not so subtle—harmony with the magnetic environment, and that it influences everything from the migration patterns of birds down to the very cell division that takes place in humans. [6]

The more science looks at the electromagnetic influences in nature, the more astounding the connections become. It would appear that every living thing is tuned in to the earth’s electromagnetic background and utilizes it for a variety of purposes.

The super senses of birds and animals were once thought to be supernatural. Today, many of these heightened senses are understood to be physiological, with electromagnetic properties high on the list. For instance, many animals can foretell earthquakes: snakes and scorpions seek shelter; cattle stampede; birds sing at the wrong time of day; and mother cats frantically move their kittens. It is now thought that they are reacting to changes in the earth’s magnetic field, as well as to electrostatic charges in the air, long before the quake actually occurs or registers on even the most sensitive instruments.

Other physiological features seem to affect animals’ ability to sense electromagnetic fields. Whiskers, for instance, may actually function as antennas and may influence how electricity is conducted in some animals. Gray seals, even when blind, can easily locate prey through their whiskers, and insect antennae may literally be just that with relation to electromagnetic fields, not just seeing devices as previously thought.