Press Center
Federal Register Announcement - REQUESTS PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT ON THE WORKING GROUP REPORT (EMF)
[Federal Register: August 3, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 148)
[Notices]
[Page 41267-41268]
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
Working Group Report - Assessment of Health Effects From Exposure To Power -Line Frequency Electric And Magnetic Fields
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS),
National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Toxicology
Program, DHHS, announce the availability of the Working Group
Report for public review and comment for a period beginning August
10 and ending October 9, 1998. Written comments can be sent to
the address shown below and oral comments can be presented at
any of the three scheduled public meetings discussed below. The
working group report and the comments received will provide critical
input to the NIEHS in the preparation of a Report to Congress
on the potential for human health effects from exposure to EMF
resulting from the production and distribution of electricity.
BACKGROUND
The NIEHS/NIH is charged by Congress to prepare and submit an
evaluation of the potential human health effects from exposure
to extremely low frequency (50-60 Hz) electric and magnetic fields
(EMF). To evaluate the quality of the science and the strength
of the evidence for the potential human health effects, the NIEHS
organized a comprehensive review of the data which included:
-
1) Three scientific symposia to discuss and evaluate the quality
of the research findings in these study areas: a) theoretical
and in vitro research findings; b) epidemiological results;
and c) in vivo experimental and clinical laboratory findings.
Symposia participants reviewed the quality and reproducibility
of the studies and discussed the degree to which the scientific
evidence can support a causal linkage between EMFs and biological
and/or health effects in each of the study areas.
2) A working group of scientists both within and outside the field of EMF research to ensure cross-disciplinary discussion of experimental findings, broad scientific perspective, and critical review and evaluation of the research data. Several different sources of information were reviewed by the working group including discussion reports from the three symposia; a comprehensive, critical review of the scientific literature; and other pertinent information and experimental data. The working group report draws conclusions on the strength and robustness of the experimental data related to extremely low frequency EMF exposure and its implication for human health and disease etiology.
THE WORKING GROUP REPORT AVAILABLE AUGUST 10, 1998
In brief, the panel of experts concluded that electric and magnetic
fields like those surrounding electric power lines should be regarded
as a "possible human carcinogen." The panel vote 19
to 9 was based largely on epidemiological evidence in the face
of animal and other laboratory studies that the panel agreed did
not support or refute the population studies. Because of the conflicting
studies, eight of the nineteen panel members found the EMF fields
not classifiable as to carcinogenicity, while one member of the
panel said EMF probably is not carcinogenic to humans.
The working group report will be available August 10 and can be
obtained free of charge by contacting by mail: EMF-RAPID Program/LCBRA
NIEHS, NIH, PO Box 12233, MD EC-16, Research Triangle Park, NC
27709 or by fax: 919-541-0144, or by e-mail: emf-rapid@niehs.nih.gov.
The document will be available in both hard copy and CD-ROM.
Please provide the following information when requesting the report:
Name, Mailing Address, and whether you prefer a hard copy or CD-ROM
copy of the report.
The report will also be available on the internet and can be accessed
from the NIEHS and NTP at www.niehs.nih.gov/emfrapid/home.htm.
PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT ENCOURAGED
In order to fulfill the request from Congress for a report on
the potential for human health effects from exposure to EMF resulting
from the production and distribution of electricity, the NIEHS
will review the working group report and all public comments on
the report received during the open comment period, the information
obtained from the three science symposia, and any other relevant
information. The NIEHS Report to Congress will be prepared following
the October 9 deadline for comments and is expected to be submitted
to Congress late 1998.
Written and/or oral comments on the working group report are welcome
as described below:
WRITTEN COMMENTS:
The NIEHS invites interested public to submit written comments
providing their perspective on the implications of the Working
Group Report to be considered by the NIEHS as it prepares a Report
to Congress on the potential for human health effects from exposure
to EMF resulting from the production and distribution of electricity.
Written comments should be sent to the address given below. All
comments must be received by October 9, 1998 and must identify
the person making the comments and the sponsoring organization
(if any).
ORAL COMMENTS:
To encourage and facilitate the broadest base of input possible,
the NIEHS is hosting three meetings to receive comments providing
perspectives on the implications of the Working Group Report to
be considered by the NIEHS as it prepares a Report to Congress
on the potential for human health effects from exposure to EMF
resulting from the production and distribution of electricity.
Oral comments will be presented to NIEHS officials with responsibility
for preparing the Report to Congress as well as to other officials
associated with the implementation of the EMF Research and Public
Information Dissemination (RAPID) Program, established by the
1992 Energy Policy Act (Section 2118 for Public Law 102-486).
Meeting locations follow; the hours for each meeting will be 2-3:00
p.m. for registration/welcome and the public comment period will
be held from 3-8:00 p.m. unless all speakers have been heard prior
to that time (local time).
Date | City | Building | Address |
September 28 | Washington, DC | Ronald Reagan Trade Center | 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW |
October 1 | San Francisco, CA | US EPA, Region IX | 75 Hawthorne St. |
October 5 | Chicago, IL | University of Chicago, Gleacher Center | 450 N Cityfront Plaza Drive |
Each speaker will be asked when registering to identify their
sponsoring organization (if any). The number of speakers representing
the same sponsoring organization may be limited to one in order
to assure time for as many speakers and organizations to be represented
as possible. Brief introductory comments will be presented by
the agencies represented and the remainder of the time will be
devoted to the receipt of public comments both oral and written.
While the time allotted for each presentation will largely be
dependent upon the number of individuals who wish to speak, it
is anticipated that approximately 5-6 minutes would be available
for each presenter to address the panel. Speakers will be registered
and assigned time on a first-come, first-serve basis. To register
to speak, provide the following information: name, affiliation,
mailing address, phone, fax, e-mail, sponsoring organization (if
any) to the address (mail, e-mail, fax) given below. Registration
is accepted on site prior to the start of the meeting so that
the time available to each speaker can be determined.
When oral comments are read from printed copy, it is requested
that copies be provided when registering at the meeting to supplement
the record of the meeting. Written statements may expand on the
oral presentation as well, or may be submitted in lieu of an oral
presentation. It is important, however, that all written statements,
if not provided at the time of the meeting, be received by the
October 9 deadline.
The meetings will be recorded to establish a record of the comments
for use by the NIEHS in preparing the Report to Congress. NIEHS
staff will be available to welcome and meet the interested public
during the registration hour that will precede each meeting.
1998 ANNUAL EMF RESEARCH REVIEW - Tucson, Arizona
An additional public comment period on the Report will be held
on the afternoons of September 14-15, 1998, in conjunction with
the DOE/NIEHS/EEI Annual EMF Research Review Meeting. The meeting
will be held at the InnSuites, 475 N. Granada Ave., Tucson, AZ,
85701. Given that a number of research scientists will be in attendance,
NIEHS and other officials with responsibility for preparing the
Report to Congress will be available to receive comments from
meeting attendees or from interested public. Anyone not attending
the conference but interested in attending the afternoon open
comment sessions are asked to contact the NIEHS EMF-RAPID Program
as described below:
REQUESTS FOR THE REPORT, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR TO REGISTER FOR
A PUBLIC MEETING, please contact: by Mail: EMF-RAPID Program/LCBRA
NIEHS, NIH, PO Box 12233, MD EC-16, Research Triangle Park, NC
27709, by fax: 919-541-0144, or by e-mail: emf-rapid@niehs.nih.gov
Dated: July 27, 1998
_______________________
Kenneth Olden, Ph.D.
Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
[Billing Code 4140-01-P]
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