Currents of Death

Controversy over the potential hazards of electromagnetism from neighborhood power lines has moved from the lab to the courts, as school districts and community groups mount protests or lawsuits against utility companies. New Yorker staff writer Brodeur convincingly argues that evidence exists that exposure to such radiation may cause cancer and other illnesses. Low-level microwave radiation poses another danger, he compellingly shows, as Cape Cod, Mass., residents discovered when an Air Force radar station built in the vicinity apparently led to abnormally high levels of cancer. Brodeur details and disputes scientific studies that claim such radiation is safe. He implicitly charges that a cover-up of the dangers has been engineered by industry, government, regulatory agencies and academia. He also reviews studies suggesting that computer video display terminals (VDTs) may induce cataracts, birth defects and miscarriages, and briefly assesses the potential hazards from electric blankets and electrically heated waterbeds. First serial to the New Yorker. (Oct.)