ETCSPOTLIGHT

The Quarterly Newsletter of ETC Lanka (Private) Limited February 2007 OPINION CONTENTS
Opinion: High Voltage Transmission Lines and Their Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) . .. 1 Island Update Planning Agriculture for Sustainability ...1

HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINES AND THEIR ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS (EMF)

Lionel Munaweera - Consultant Are Some Of Us Living With A Potentially Serious Health Hazard?

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Editor: Prasad Perera Contributors: Lionel Munaweera, and Felix Wijesinghe ETC Lanka (Private) Limited 4, Jayanthipura Main Road Battaramulla, Sri Lanka. Telephone: 94-11-2869778/4413642/ 4413749 Fax: 94-11-4413642 Email: etclanka@sltnet.lk Website: www.etc-lanka.org Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the writers and not necessarily of ETC Lanka. Fig A: Electric Fields do not penetrate the body significantly, but they do build up a charge on its surface. Fig B: Exposure to Magnetic Fields causes circulating currents to flow in the body. Source: World Health Organization (WHO) Electromagnetic Fields and Public Health: The Present Evidence.

EMF can be generally described as consisting of two basic types, static low-frequency EMF such as power lines, household appliances and computers, and high frequency or radio frequency fields such as radar, radio and television broadcast facilities, mobile telephones and their base stations, induction heaters and anti-theft devices. However, EMF are too weak to break the bonds that hold molecules in cells together and therefore cannot produce ionization. EMF is consequently referred to as non-ionizing radiation. In contrast, gamma rays produced by radioactive material, cosmic rays and X-rays can break the bonds that hold molecules in cells together and are referred to as ionizing radiation. Continued on page 2

ISLAND UPDATE

By Prasad Perera

The MOU between the Government and UNP has been suspended due to the crossover of UNP parliamentarians. How ever Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe the leader of the UNP has pledge his support to programmes of the government that are in line with the thinking of UNP. According to news reported from North and East, it seems to be LTTE and Security Forces engaged in elam war IV. After capturing the major strongholds of the LTTE in the East the security forces are continuing their efforts to deny the LTTE of any military advantage. What remains now is the speedy resettlement of the large number of civilians internally displaced due to this conflict. Both Government and LTTE continue to state that they are willing to commence peace talks and continue with the peace process. However both parties seem to be continuing military actions. One positive factor is the apparent actions of the Government to proceed with Development activities despite the conflict.

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OPINION - Continued

EMF occur in nature and have therefore always been present on earth. Furthermore, electrical currents exist naturally in the human body and are essential to normal bodily functions, in that the relay of nerve signals is accomplished through the transmission of electrical impulses. As well, biological reactions such as brain activity and digestion involve electrical impulses. During the past thirty years or so there has been a steady increase in exposure to EMF as a result of ever increasing demand for electricity, constantly advancing wireless technology and changes in workplace methodology and social behavior. Everyone is therefore increasingly exposed to a wide electromagnetic spectrum at home, at work and even on the street. This spectrum consists of a complex mix of electric and magnetic fields. However, this article is confined to the potential health effects of high voltage transmission lines and does not address the wider electromagnetic spectrum.

Fig C: A High Voltage Transmission Line

Source: BBC News Online

The writer first became aware of concerns regarding EMF when, in 1994, he came across a First Nations community (the Kitamaat Indian Reservation off the Pacific Coast of northern British Columbia, Canada), that was experiencing some health problems, which the community attributed to a high voltage power transmission line that had been erected on the reservation many years previously. According to Chief Gerald Amos of the Haisla First Nation, the health problems were confined to a row of houses, which the writer personally observed to be positioned directly beneath the power line! The writer raised the issue (including reference to two related Swedish studies) with the Indian Environmental Protection Directorate (IEPD) of Indian & Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) in Ottawa, who in turn referred the matter to the Electromagnetics Unit of Health & Welfare Canada (HWC). The HWC response was that there was no widely accepted study that established a causal link between cancer and exposure to EMF on humans. A rather lukewarm response that demonstrated a classic case of bureaucratic disinterest to a problem faced by a minority group of forcibly colonized people, who in 1994 were still being treated like second-class citizens by a distressingly large component of the general populace. This was further illustrated in IEPDs own response, advising the writer that . if there is a specific situation in mind,
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I would recommend that the individual concerned (the italics are the writers) contact HWC directly, as well as the relevant provincial departments (including health, labor, and environment and the hydroelectric utility). If any additional information bearing on this issue comes to light, you will be informed. In other words, dont contact us, we will contact you and meanwhile, dont bother us. The real bureaucratic fears were directly unstated, but nevertheless were contained in a reference (H. Keith Florig. Responding to the Potential Health Effects of Electric and Magnetic Fields. Science. 24 July 1992.), in the IEPDs response to the writer, that included the following, in relation to the then prevailing situation in the USA: Concerns about EMFs have complicated and delayed the permit and siting process for new electric power transmission and substation facilities; Some state and local legislative bodies have proposed or enacted outright moratoria on the construction of transmission lines; Net benefits of electric power trading and increased reliability of electric service that even a single new transmission line can provide can be as high as tens of millions of dollars per year; The economic impact of political, legal and market responses to the specter of EMF-induced health hazards is huge. The publics desire to avoid exposure to EMFs is already reflected in falling property values along transmission line routes. In the USA this amounts to 10 million acres of land and 1 million homes. A decline of just 1% per year in the value of these properties probably exceeds $1 billion per year; The filing of court cases that involve claims of damaged health as a result of exposure to EMFs is becoming more common. Because juries are ill-equipped to deal with the complexities of evidence concerning EMF bio-effects, many of these claims are settled out-of-court for undisclosed amounts; There is increasing importance to promote fairness in the processes by which risks of exposure to EMFs are distributed across society. (This is rather undisguised code for the crude reality that: power utilities will take the profits, but if there are costs associated with addressing EMF impacts then the public must pay!); Whether to avoid litigation, avoid future retrofits of power lines, or exercise prudence respecting public health, many electric utilities are unilaterally changing the design of new electric distribution circuits in residential areas and placing more power lines underground, or on higher poles, or in more compact configurations. The additional cost of such measures can range from a few percent up to 25% of total cost. Given that in 1992 the US annual nationwide investment (by electric utilities) in the construction of power distribution circuits was approx. $10 billion, these EMF mitigation measures could cost up to an additional $1 billion per year; and, To reduce risk of liability and enhance product marketability, manufacturers of some consumer and office appliances have begun to offer low-field models at prices that are a few percent higher than models not designed to lower EMFs. Both the $2 billion market for video display terminals and the $100 million market for electric blankets are expected to be driven into offering only low-field models within a few years.
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Today, the situation is quite different and it is a fact that anxiety and speculation have been growing with regard to EMFs. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the International EMF Project in 1996 to assess the scientific evidence of possible health effects of EMF in the range 0 to 300 GHz. Notwithstanding this ongoing project, the following are now established facts regarding EMF: A major new study by the Childhood Cancer Research Group (University of Oxford) and Transco (owners of the National Grid), based on cancer data for children 15 years old in England and Wales between 1962 and 1995, found that: children whose birth addresses were within 200 metres of an overhead power line had a 70% increased risk of leukemia; and, children living 200 to 600 metres away from the power lines had a 20% increased risk. The study, which was partially funded by the power-line industry, appeared in the June 2005 British Medical Journal and concluded that: There is a statistical link between EMF from power lines and leukemia; A California Department of Health Sciences Evaluation released in October 2002 concludes that: EMFs can cause some degree of increased risk of childhood leukemia, adult brain cancer, Lou Gehrigs Disease; and, miscarriage. The evaluation, which is the culmination of a 9-year, $7 million research effort further concludes that magnetic fields may cause suicidal tendencies and adult leukemia. What is significant is that the evaluation uses causation as a standard, which is a much more rigorous test than the more commonly used standard that seeks to demonstrate an association between EMF and many of these diseases; A 3-year research effort conducted by the Japanese Science & Technology Agency (now part of the Education Ministry) has found that EMF is linked to brain cancer in children. A UK study found a similar link between power line EMF and childhood leukemia (BBC broadcast, 30 October 2004), with it also being asserted that UK authorities suppressed this information for 3 years! It is reported that the UKs National Radiological Protection Board may reduce its limits for EMF exposures, and require that homes be at least 150 metres (about 450 feet) away from power lines; As reported in an article by Dr. De-Kun Li in the January 2002 issue of Epidemiology, a three-fold increase in overall spontaneous abortions and a six-fold increase in spontaneous abortions occurring before the 10th week of pregnancy was observed in association with even momentary exposure to magnetic fields greater than 16mG. These results were confirmed in an entirely separate article (by G.M. Lee) in the same edition of Epidemiology. Similar results were confirmed in a news report in the New Scientist of 10 January 2002 (California Health Services Department scientist Raymond Neutra); The Sun newspaper (UK) reported on 11 October 2003, on a study comparing people living within 25 metres of a power line, with others in the same area but outside the 25 metre boundary. The study found that 1 in 7 pregnant women with homes near transmission power lines had miscarried, compared with 1 in 29 living further away. Of both men and women living close to the lines, 27% said that they had suffered from depression compared with 13% further away. 63% of those within 25 metres reported regular headaches as against 39% of those outside 25 metres. Insomnia and dietary problems were reported to be around 50% higher near the power lines;
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Dr. Paul Villeneuve of the University of Ottawa states in a study (published in February 2002), that those exposed to a moderate (6mG) magnetic field increased by a factor of 12 their odds of developing an aggressive brain tumor known as glioblastoma multiforme; The State of Connecticut has enacted a law that effectively requires the burial of all large power transmission lines built near residences, schools and other sensitive facilities; and, The Lakeland Florida Ledger reports that prospective homeowners fear power transmission lines. In fact, the publication Power Line Health Facts reports on-line, that there is solid evidence that second hand smoke is less dangerous than magnetic fields!

As discussed in the Scientific American of June 2005, the obvious question that arises in the face of this evidence is: Why is there still a perception that power lines are not dangerous? The answer, provided in the same discussion, is that: It lies in the fact that rich corporations handsomely reward lobbyists and scientists for distorting scientific evidence in order to advance corporate and economic interests. What does all this mean in Sri Lankan terms? Without getting too technical, one can assume that there are EMFs everywhere we go, since electric power is widely used. However, as stated earlier, this article is confined to exposure from high voltage transmission lines. Basically, electric fields from such lines may be weakened, distorted or blocked by conducting objects (eg: earth, trees, buildings). However, the associated magnetic fields are not as easily blocked and are therefore what we should be most concerned about. Magnetic fields are down to background level (ie: no greater than that found in nature) 3 to 4 feet from a household appliance, while it reaches background level around 60 to 200 feet from a distribution line and 300 to 1000 feet from a transmission line, depending on the line. While it is more than likely that some of us are in fact living with a potentially serious health hazard, the writer does not for a moment suggest that we should get generally paranoid, dispose of our appliances, shun electricity and retire to a cave in the middle of the jungle. In terms of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), the current talk of devolution must be accompanied by real devolution, accompanied by de-concentration of government and industry to areas away from current urban centers. This could then pave the way for the establishment of electric power transmission corridors, where residential housing will not be permitted in close proximity. GOSL could also offer to purchase private property near existing lines in order to create new transmission corridors under and around existing lines. The lands in these corridors need not go to waste, since they could be used for the cultivation of trees suitable for mechanized harvesting, which could in turn be used for dendro power generation or as marketable timber. In terms of the average citizen, it is suggested that if one chooses to live within 300 metres of a high voltage transmission line (Fig. C), then one is putting oneself and ones family (especially children), at considerable risk of serious disease, with the risk increasing with proximity to the transmission line. In fact, if and when you are ever in the market for a house, this should concern you.
The writer is a freelance Management Consultant with a broad spectrum of successful international and local experience. He is a former Director of the Environmental Protection & Management Program for the British Columbia Region of Indian & Northern Affairs Canada.

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February 2007

PLANNING AGRICULTURE FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Save Sri Lankas economy with Renewable energy from local resources and sustainable farming
By Felix Wijesinghe. Consultant Agronomist

INTRODUCTION
The forest is a bestowing living creature with unlimited kindness and compassion. It provides shelter and protection to all living things without demanding anything in return. Provides shelter even to a person who comes with an axe in hand to destroy it

- Lord Buddha In the context of agriculture, sustainability basically refers to the capacity to remain productive while maintaining the resource base.
However many people use a wider definition, judging agriculture to be sustainable if it is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just, humane, and adaptable. The best example where you can observe this process is in a virgin forest. The forest exists on its own and supports life without mans interventions. The quality of natural resources are maintained, it is self sufficient, resources and power are distributed and basic needs of all life are met, all forms of life plant and animal , birds and insects are respected and is capable of adjusting to the constantly changing conditions. If we substitute these conditions into our agricultural planning we could develop a well functioning low external input agricultural system where crops, trees, herbs and animals have not only productive but also have ecological functions, such as producing organic matter, nutrient pumping, creating a nutrient reservoir in the soil, natural crop protection, and controlling erosion, contributing to the continuity and stability of farming.

PRESENT SITUATION With the Green Revolution the Department of Agriculture encouraged the farmers to use chemicals. Even though the green revolution contributed for an increase of crop yields appreciably, a large extent of agricultural lands are becoming unsuitable for cultivation due to various reasons such as non adoption to appropriate soil conservation measures, soil erosion, by wind and water, increasing acidity, salinity and alkalinity in the soil, deterioration of organic matter and weakening of soil structure and texture.
Our present agricultural practices contribute to soil depletion, degradation and soil and environmental pollution This is mainly due to;
The cultivation of short term rain fed crops on hill slopes without proper soil conservation measures by encroaches. The excessive use of chemicals and fertilizers has changed the chemical composition of the soil (salinization, alkalinization) The depletion of plant nutrients and organic matter resulting in the deterioration of soil structure, due to continuous application of NPK fertilizer and non application of organic matter.
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The degradation threat : loss of rainfed cropland

Without conservation measures on rainfed land, soil erosion or loss by wind or water, salinisation or alkalinisation, depletion of plant nutrients and organic matter, deterioration of soil structure and pollution will lead to the loss of 544 million ha of cropland. Losses of 10% in South America, 16.5% in Africa, 20% in Southwest Asia, 30% in XCentral America and 36% in Southeast Asia. Much of the remaining land will also loss fertility due to loss of topsoil. The total loss in productivity on rainfed cropland will amount to a daunting 29%. (FAO 1984a)

Source : PMHE Project A Guideline to Sustainable Agriculture , D.B. Rambodagedara

At present many advantages gained from high external input agriculture are progressively diminishing and the yield per unit area is decreasing. Therefore the farmers, researchers and extentionists are compelled to contemplate towards a sustainable agricultural system free of high external inputs. This process is gradually taking place without the farmers knowledge and if this trend is allowed to continue, there will be a total loss in the productivity of the land. The cost of cultivation of crops increases from season to season; Due to the escalation of the prices of fuel, chemicals and fertilizer and labour, Due to the drop in the yields due to soil depletion. and degradation

If you ask the farmers to explain their yields over a period of time it will be noticed that their yields are dropping from year to year, even with the application of fertilizer. Continuous use of only artificial fertilizer (NPK) leads to depletion of micro nutrients which may influence plant, animal, and human health as the micro nutrients are not replaced by NPK fertilizers, and occurrence of pest and diseases increase. We have enough bio mass and garbage compared to other countries to produce organic manure, but our Sri Lankan practice is to burn them or throw them, and pollute the environment. In the rural areas as well as in the urban areas this practice is very commonly observed, and they use chemical fertilizer for crop, foliar and flower production spending unnecessarily. The researchers think in terms of High External Input Agriculture (HEIA) which the farmers cannot afford to practice, instead of Low External Input Agriculture. (LEI A)
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To ensure sustainability
Encourage the farmers to reduce the application of chemical fertilizers and agro chemicals. Encourage the farmers to switch to traditional eco-friendly agricultural practices .Provide subsidies for use of organic practices, Stop subsidies for chemical practices Conduct intensive drives to revert the farmers to Low External Input Agriculture (LEIA). Facilitate the farmers to compare, low cost traditional eco-friendly practices with the present conventional agriculture practices, Facilitate the farmers to make decisions by comparing costs, health and safety factors, and sustainability and not only in yields

It is high time for the planners and decision makers to think of the future and plan to maintain the resource base for our future generations.

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