EMF and Health: A Growing Hysteria - An Op Ed

Op-Ed Review of EMF and Health: A Growing Hysteria by Lorne Trottier

Conflicting research exists in the study of EMF waves and its effects on health. In this article, the author asks the question that was also on my mind as I was reading it: how do we know that those mechanisms are the only harmful effects of EMF? What if all of the research has been looking at only the electrical/ electronic devices risks thus neglecting another cause? This issue needs to be further researched from another angle and perhaps by a private institution as opposed to the FCC
EMF or Electronic fields are produced by every electronic devise from power lines to TV broadcasting devices. There has recently been a growing hysteria in the media as to the effects EMF has on health. The hysteria is outlined well in the article, EMF and Health: A Growing Hysteria by Lorne Trottier which was in the September/October 2009 issue of Skeptical Inquirer Magazine.
Trottier suggests that there, “are only three scientifically established mechanisms where EMF is known to cause health effects…induced voltage, gradients and/or electric currents in the body, thermal effects and ionizing radiation effects.” It is further explained that extensive research has been done to establish safe limits for EMF’s. The FCC also sets limits on permitted exposure for the public at 1/50 the level at which harmful heating effects may occur.
The European Parliament has researched this and even had studies that found that the most harmful effects were at the lowest levels of EMFS transmissions. That to me says that the other studies that were briefly outlined didn’t seem to have enough information or were not entirely thorough. The article goes on to talk of alarmist and fraud artists that are taking advantage of the hysteria with quack remedies and one sided papers that support the notion of long term dyer effects of EMF’s. There are always going to be groups of people that antagonize and challenge issues, like the alarmists and fraud artists but that it is known that hard facts speak louder than hysteria and hype.
EMF and health needs to be taken to another level of research in order to know for sure the extent of the effects and how or even if it can be remedied. If it is indeed being caused by the sources as stated before and some alternate sources or ideas of transmission needs to be looked into further.