Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You side with the power company and do nothing except support continued
research.
You figure that the current body of evidence does not show that exposure
to these fields presents a human health hazard. Plus, your loyalties lie with
the power company, your employer.
The weak link between proximity to power lines and childhood illnesses
such as leukemia may be the result of factors other than magnetic fields.
Research conducted throughout the world has not demonstrated a causal link
between electromagnetic fields and ill health.
So, you see no reason to do anything other than ask the power company to
continue to fund research.
But what if, years down the line, researchers discover that electromagnetic
fields do cause cancer and other devastating illnesses? Could you live with
the thought that you could have done something to help, but didn't?
"There's this constant trading off within the industry -- what are
the benefits from this versus any harmful effects?" says electrical engineer
Marv Neumeister. "The harmful effects are not always obvious, because we're
dealing with essentially invisible things, even though we have measurement
tools. We're dealing with electronics and magnetic forces, all of which
are invisible to us.
"Then you get into the whole area of how much is harmful. Harmful may not
be something that you can determine for 20 to 30 years down the line."