[Community_garden] power line issue

[West, Mary Ann]

Hi Janet,
 
Although I don't have specific information regarding extended exposure
with power line issues, more than a decade ago I was the PR person when
the local power company (CL & P) wanted to place a substation next to my
townhouse complex & an elementary school in New Canaan, CT.
 
The issue was EMF's (electric and magnetic fields), a measurable
emissions from power lines. The President of the Environmental Defense
Fund, Fred Krupp, just happened to be a parent, was instrumental in
guidance & in getting major press, including a New York Times interview
in my living room, when published suddenly changed the conversation of
both CL & P & town officials from it's "OK" too "we need to look further
at this issue".  Bottom line, they re-positioned the site & reduced
their plans considerably.
 
We had also worked on a health survey of another neighborhood that had a
substation & there was a cancer cluster that was further researched by
the CT Dept of Public Health.  Although there has never been a research
study to say 100% that EMF's or power lines are directly linked to
increases of specific cancers (brain, Lymphoma's etc...) my personal
feeling would be to avoid the issue whenever possible.
 
PS, Utility companies refer to findings of Electric Power Research
Institute (funded by the utility companies)
 
an interesting article: http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/memf.htm
 
Mary Ann West
Co-Chair, Westport Community Garden
PO Box 61
Greens Farms, CT 06838
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