Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You recommend that measurements be taken to reduce the risk, at
whatever cost.
Determining if electromagnetic fields are harmful, and if so, how much
exposure is harmful, will take years and years of research.
You can't help that, however. When you became an engineer, you accepted
a professional code of ethics that you would not design, develop, or make
available to the public products which are harmful to them.
Since there may be an association between electromagnetic fields and ill
health, you recommend that measurements be taken to reduce the risk at whatever
cost.
Of course, the management of the power company isn't pleased with
your decision. The measures to reduce risk will cost them an enormous amount
of money, all for something that they're not convinced poses a risk.
Publicity generated by your decision is causing panic as well, since residents
believe you wouldn't support safety measurements unless a problem really
existed.
This is a real-life decision made by electrical engineers
like Marv Neumeister.
"An engineer is caught in a situation where he's signed the code of
ethics that says he will not produce anything that will harm people, and he
has experts telling him that it's harmful, and others saying it's
not," says Neumeister. "It's a tough decision."