160 lines
6.9 KiB
Plaintext
160 lines
6.9 KiB
Plaintext
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þþþþ Our Hidden Enemies þþþþ
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þþþ By Paul Brodeur þþþ
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Evidence is building that exposure to low level electromagnetic
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radiation that is given off by power lines, electric blankets, video display
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terminals (VDT's) and even some electric clocks can cause cancer, birth
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defects, miscarriages, and other health problems. This information has been
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suppressed or downplayed for years by the electric utility industry,
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manufacturers and the media. Result: Millions of americans are still at risk.
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þþþþ Electromagnetic Radiation þþþþ
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þþþþ What It Is And Where It Comes From þþþþ
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Electromagnetic radiation consists of electric fields produced by
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voltages and magnetic fields produced by electrical currents. Although
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electrical fields can be shielded by conducting materials, magnetic fields can
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penetrate almost anything that stands in their way, including the human body.
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Power lines give off extra low frequency (ELF) electric and
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magnetic fields whose waves vibrate back and forth 60 times per second. The
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magnetic fields can be particularly strong in houses that are close to high
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voltage transmission lines and to the ordinary high current distribution lines
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that can be found in almost every city, suburb and town in the US. In fact,
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millions of americans may be living in homes that are penetrated by strong
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magnetic fields from power lines.
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ELF radiation is also strong near power substations, VDT's, dial
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face electric clocks, on top of electrically heated water beds and under
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electric blankets and heating pads. Because the magnetic fields from these
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sources vibrate back and forth at 60 times per second, the same to-and-fro
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movement will occur in the brain and body molecules of the human beings who
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are exposed to them.
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þþþþ Electromagnetic Radiation And Disease þþþþ
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More than a dozen studies of men whose work exposed them to ELF
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electromagnetic radiation found an increased incidence of leukemia, lymphoma,
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and brain cancer. And two epidemiological studies have found that a
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statistically high number of children in Denver who had died of cancer had
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lived near high current electrical lines.
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A recent study of New York State telephone workers by an
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epidemiologist at John Hopkins University showed that these people, who are
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exposed to magnetic fields on a daily basis, have an increased risk of
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developing leukemia and almost all types of cancer.
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Although scientists don't know exactly how exposure to ELF radiation
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causes cancer, many of them suspect that it impairs the ability of the
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T-lymphocyte cells, the infection fighting "soldiers" of the immune system to
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combat cancer. With the great increase in breast cancer in women between 20
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and 45, it's hard to overlook the fact that millions now spend eight hours
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a day working inches from VDT's that emit the type of magnetic fields that
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have been shown to promote the growth of tumors. And neither lead aprons nor
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radiation screens that are sold for VDT's shield one iota of the magnetic
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fields that completely penetrate the body.
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þþþþ Birth Defects þþþþ
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Although few animal studies have been done in the US to analyze the
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effects of ELF radiation on pregnancies, dairy farmers have known for years
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not to pasture herds or let them breed close to electrical lines. If they do
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they have more stillborn and stunted calves and lower milk production. Within
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the next five to ten years, ELF radiation will also be linked to many
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degenerative neurological disorders including multiple sclerosis, autism, and
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quite possibly Alzheimer's.
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þþþþ The Big Cover-Up þþþþ
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The government, the electric utility industry and appliance
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manufacturers all maintain that there's not enough proof to make them take
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action. This is the same thing people said for years about asbestos, until it
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was proven to be a killer. Hundreds of thousands of people could die before
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it's proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that electromanetic radiation is truly
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dangerous.
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The electrical utility industry is trying to persuade people that
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common household appliances are as dangerous as power lines. This is a
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dishonest attempt to obscure the real problem. Although it is true that your
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hair dryer, for instance, gives off a magnetic field, the strength of the
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field drops off dramatically within a few inches. Although your thumb might
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get a little radiation, your whole body is not being exposed to harmful
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radiation. Even more important, most people don't spend eight hours a day
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using a hair dryer, as many people do with computers or electric blankets, nit
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to mention living near power lines. The hazards come from long term exposure.
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þþþþ Self Defense þþþþ
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Until the government, the electrical utilities and manufacturers take
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effective measures to shield us from low level electromagnetic radiation,
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there are several things you should do to protect yourself.
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þ Electric Blankets
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þ Heating Pads
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þ Heated Waterbeds
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Throw them out! Although the industry is now designing these devices
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to lower the amount of electromagnetic radiation they emit, safe products have
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yet to reach the market.
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þ Dial Face Electric Clocks
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Keep them at least three feet away from your bed, your desk chair or
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anywhere else you spend a great deal of time. Even digital clocks should be
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kept at least a foot away.
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þ Power Lines
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Pressure must be brought on local, state and federal officials to
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measure electronagnetic radiation near power lines and substations. In areas
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where the radiation is unacceptably high, wires will have to be rerouted or
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buried and substations moved. Join one of the organizations that are being
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formed in every state to fight health problems caused by power lines. Or
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litigate. People are hiring lawyers to take their cases to court. In the next
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decade we will see an enormous amount of litigation against utilities and
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manufacturers of computers, electric blankets, etc.
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þ Video Data Terminals (VDT's)
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It's easy to redesign a workplace in which VDT's can be used safely.
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One organization, The Fund for the city of New York, changed its office layout
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so that employees sit an arms length, 28 to 30 inches from their VDT's. They
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found that electromagnetic radiation drops off sharply at that distance. But
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radiation from VDT's doesn't come from the screen, it comes out the back and
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sides as well. So the organization does not allow anyone to sit within 40
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inches of another employee's VDT. Even safer: Laptop computers use safe liquid
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crystal displays (LCD's) that do not give off hazardous magnetic fields.
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