Agenda - Council - 06/25/2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Enterprise Park to Crooked Lake 115 kV Transmission Line March 2012 Environmental Assessment Continued Research It is important to note that although expert panels and agencies, such as the ones discussed above, have not yet identified any viable cause and effect relationships between exposure to EMFs and adverse health effects, alternative hypotheses have existed and continue to be researched. For example, Dr. David O. Carpenter, during the recent public hearing proceedings for the proposed 345 kV transmission line from Brookings County, South Dakota to Hampton, Minnesota, provided pre -filed direct testimony regarding his findings on health effects associated with EMF. Dr. Carpenter is a public health physician and Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany, SUNY. He researched and wrote a document titled, Setting Prudent Public Health Policy for Electromagnetic Field Exposures. Carpenter concludes "there is strong scientific evidence that exposure to magnetic fields from power lines greater than 4 mG is associated with an elevated risk of childhood leukemia" and that some studies have indicated that there is scientific evidence to suggest that exposures above 2 mG could increase leukemia risks. Carpenter goes on to suggest that "lifetime exposure to magnetic fields in excess of 2 mG is associated with an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases in adults, including Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)." (Carpenter, 2008) Additionally, during his recent testimony on the proposed 345 kV HVTL in response to whether EMF similar to power line exposure can affect biological tissue, he states the following (Carpenter, 2010): Any one of these actions [actions that alter cell tissue] might be responsible for the carcinogenic and/or neurodegenerative actions of EMFs. As with many environmental agents, however, assuming that only one mechanism of action exists would be a mistake, particularly where more than one disease is involved. It is more likely that multiple mechanisms of action would contribute to disease. Interference from Implantable Medical Devices Research has established that electric fields can potentially interfere with implantable medical devices, such as cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). This interference, referred to as Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), can cause inappropriate triggering of a device or inhibit the device from responding appropriately (PSCW, 2010). Medtronic and Guidant, manufacturers of various implantable medical devices, have indicated that electric fields below 6 kV/m are unlikely to cause interactions affecting operation of most of their devices. Medtronic recommends an exposure threshold of 1.0 Gauss (G) for magnetic fields and a 2 to 3 foot distance from the implantable medical device to HVTLs for every 10,000 volts for electric fields (PSCW, 2001). 39