Scientists find no evidence of health risks from residential EMF exposure.

There is no conclusive proof that electromagnetic radiation in the average American home from sources like power lines and appliances poses a threat to human health, according to a 16-member committee of the National Research Council, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences.

After an intensive three-year study of 17 years of research on the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF), which included reviewing more than 500 published studies on the topic, the 16 scientists found that "no conclusive and consistent evidence shows that exposures to residential electric and magnetic fields produce cancer, adverse neurobehavioral effects, or reproductive and developmental effects." (National Research Council, Possible Health Effects of Exposure to Residential Electric and Magnetic Fields 1 (1996).)

But lawyers representing plaintiffs who allege they were harmed by EMF exposure say the committees review of the research does not resolve the controversy, nor does it signal an end to litigation over the issue. Bruce DeBoskey, a Denver attorney who represents families seeking damages for illnesses and property devaluation allegedly caused by EMF exposure, said the standard of proof called for by the researchers was too high.

"The committee wanted conclusive evidence" of a link between EMF and disease, said Deboskey. "In a court of law you don't need conclusive evidence, you need a preponderance of the evidence."

Committee members did find a "weak but statistically significant" link between household proximity to high-voltage power lines and childhood leukemia. Several studies have shown that children living near these lines are 1.5 times more likely than their peers to develop the rare cancer. DeBoskey said this finding could help his clients, cases.

But the scientists said that insufficient data exist to conclude that this slight increased risk for the disease is caused by the electric and magnetic fields produced by power lines.

In a news briefing, committee chairman Dr. Charles Stevens of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Salk Institute in San Diego said that extensive animal and cellular testing have failed to show that magnetic and electrical fields can cause or encourage the growth of cancer. Therefore, Stevens said, the weak link between proximity to power lines and childhood leukemia may be due to other factors like air quality and a home's age, proximity to high-traffic density, and construction features.

The study was commissioned by Congress to address widespread fears of electromagnetic radiation that were touched off by reports in the late 1970s linking EMFs with cancer. In the years since, several EMF lawsuits have been filed, and many are still pending. (Bruce H. DeBoskey, Electromagnetic Radiation and Cancer: Recent Developments, TRIAL, July 1995, at 18.)

DeBoskey faulted the study for focusing on typical residential exposures rather than the high exposure levels of homes located near high-voltage power lines. He added that the study gave short shrift to occupational data showing that workers in industries that use large amounts of electrical power suffer a higher incidence of certain diseases.

The committee said more research was needed to address as yet unanswered questions, the most compelling being what factor or factors are responsible for the small increase in childhood leukemia in houses close to power lines. The panel said researchers should also look into a relationship between high exposures to EMFs and breast cancer in animals already exposed to other carcinogens, and why EMFs appear to affect levels of melatonin in animals and not humans.

Copies of the report can be obtained by writing to the national academy Press, 2101