ELECTRICITY STILL KILLS
                    Reprinted from Electronic Design

     Most people coexist with electricity and harness it for their benefit.
To them, the electric current that courses through their homes and offices
and overhead on light poles is benign.  However, research reported in
Electronic World may change how we think about electricity.  An article
quotes numerous research reports linking low-frequency electric fields to
cancer.  Here are a few fothe results reported in EW:
     * You have a 5.2 times greater risk of dying of myeloid leukemia
       if you work in an electrical profession - particularly if you're
       a telecommunications engineer or amateur radio operator.
     * As many as 10 to 15% of childhood cancer cases may be traced to 
       proximity to power-line fields found in homes.  The incidence of
       cancer more than doubles in households in which the average
       magnetic-field strength is above 200 nT (nanoteslas).
     * More miscarriages are reported by women who use electric blankets
       or heated water beds during the winter.

     These results aren't wild claims.  They arose from research done
over the past 16 years and are supported by independent work in the
U.S.A., United Kingdom, and USSR.  Some people have questioned the results
and say that secondary effects such as exposure to associated on-the-job
carcinogens could have triggered the cancers.  However, additional studies
have refuted some criticisms.  For example, in a study of radio amateurs,
higher rates fo leukemia were found both of those with and without 
exposure to on-the-job risks.

     In general, fields from external wiring, not household wiring and
appliances, were found to sause the biological effects.  Overhead
high-voltage and power-distribution wiring seem to be the main culprits,
along with radio-frequency and microwave radiation.  But if your home
isn't near a large power line, don't be complacent.  Investigations also
correlate proximity to the high-voltage step-down transformers in
residental areas to an increase in chikdhood leukemia.

     Clearly, it's time to carefully examine our standards for exposure
to electromagnetic radiation in the extremely low-frequency (ELF) portion
of the spectrum.  Some people are taking action.  Seven states now have
standards that set minimum distances between residences and high-voltage
transmission lines.  One of these states is Florida, which set a limit
of 15 uT along a 230-kV power-line right of way.  But a biologically
acceptable limit may be much lower.  You may believe or you may question
the rewearch the EW reports, but we think it's time for a major long-range
study of the biological effects of power-distribution systems.  Then,
if it's necessary, we may have to develop new power-distribution
systems that limit exposure to ELF electromagnetic radiation.

                                               Jon Titus
                                               Editor

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