Hot Topics. General EMF Health Effects.
Misconceptions Concerning Alleged Health Effects of Electric or Magnetic Fields.

A researcher at Armstrong Laboratory, Brooks Air Force Base in Texas presented a review, in Journal of Microwave Power and Electromagnetic Energy, of fallacies and misconceptions about possible health effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure which have appeared in articles dealing with the effects of exposure to video display terminals (VDTs), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), microwaves from television transmitter facilities, ceiling electric cable heaters, electromagnetic pulses (EMPs), traffic radar units, power lines, and EMFs in other occupational settings. The author concluded that moderate intensity extremely low-frequency EMFs may be capable of causing biological effects, but a distinction must be made between biological effects and health effects. In the author's opinion, the epidemiologic evidence for a cancer risk associated with EMF exposure is very weak, and laboratory results do not make a strong case for EMF carcinogenicity. [BENER 10107]