The Province (Vancouver, B.C.), September 6, 2007

REPORT BUTTRESSES ARGUMENT AGAINST POWER LINES

[Rachel's introduction: A new scientific report joins others in raising serious public health concerns over long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields from high-voltage power lines.]

By Brian Lewis, The Province

A scientific report released late last week joins others in raising serious public-health concerns over long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields from high-voltage power lines.

This one was compiled by international scientists, researchers and public-health professionals from the University at Albany in New York state, and concludes that existing limits are inadequate for public health.

Such emissions are linked to increased cases of childhood leukemia and adult cancers later in life.

The new report recommends that allowable exposure to EMFs be limited to about one milligauss (an EMF measurement).

That got the attention of the Tsawwassen Residents Against Higher Voltage Overhead Lines, a group trying to block the B.C. Transmission Corp.'s plan to replace two existing 138-kilovolt transmission lines that run through their back yards, parks and the local high school with 40-metre towers carrying 230-kilovolt power lines to Vancouver Island.

Evidence at last year's B.C. Utilities Commission hearing, which gave the project a green light, was that the new high-voltage lines will emit 149 milligauss -- or almost 150 times the report's recommended EMF levels.

The problem here is that the linkage of EMF exposure to cancer has not been proven absolutely, unlike tobacco use or exposure to asbestos.

But increasingly, studies conclude such links exist, and the Tsawwassen residents' group has turned to the Supreme Court of Canada, where it seeks leave to appeal on the grounds that if an EMF health risk is even suspected, the project shouldn't be built.

This is called the "precautionary principle," and it's been adopted by some governments and jurisdictions, including the United Nations.

But the residents' group says concerns reach beyond caution. During the utilities commission hearing, the group introduced affidavits from 58 households showing an above-average rate of cancer among family members -- and among household pets -- along the power-line route.

However, despite the residents offering a viable route or construction alternatives to reduce or eliminate these risks, the provincial Crown corporation and Gordon Campbell's government have refused to back down on the proposed routing.

The residents' group thinks it knows why.

"If we're successful in court, it'll set a huge precedent for the government and the BCTC because much more due diligence will have to be applied to these projects," says group co-chairman Cec Dunn.

Adds director Bernadette Kudzin: "Because the B.C. transmission grid is so old, the Tsawwassen project is only the start of a lot of upgrading -- this is all about money."

Kudzin is particularly concerned about the lines crossing South Delta Senior Secondary School's grounds.

"Most of the high-school kids in our neighbourhood go to that school, so they live under these power lines 24/7," she says.

Group members also point out that the existing 28-year-old limit of 833 milligauss, which the transmission corporation often cites, is only for short-term exposure. They say there are no EMF limits in Canada for long-term exposure.

For its part, the transmission corporation is fully aware of the studies but says it's sticking with the current EMF guidelines even though this latest report say they're not good enough.

Clearly, only the country's highest court will be able to decide this issue.

Copyright The Vancouver Province 2007