Electricity and childhood leukaemia

As a result of this work we are gaining support for a building moratorium to stop new houses being built near power lines.

 

Below are some of the important landmarks in the campaign.

Fluorescent tubes lit by emissions from an overhead power line, created by Richard Box, Bristol University.

2002

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields (ELF EMF) as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” - a class 2b carcinogen.

2004

CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA organises the world’s first International Conference on the causes and prevention of childhood leukaemia.

2005

Department of Health funded Draper Report is published in the British Medical Journal. The report demonstrated that children living within 200m of high voltage power lines have a 70% higher risk of leukaemia than those living 600m or more away.

CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA responds by calling on government to ban building new homes near power lines.

June 2006

Early Day Motion 403 in the House of Commons supports the call for the introduction of “an immediate moratorium on the building of new schools and homes in the proximity of power lines”. The EDM is signed by 223 backbench MPs.

April 2007

Stakeholder Advisory Group on ELF EMF (SAGE) produces its first interim assessment which identifies a moratorium (on the building of new homes and schools within 60 metres of existing 275 kV and 400 kV power lines and the building of new power lines within the same distance of homes and schools) as “the best-available option for obtaining significant exposure reduction”.

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) response calls on Government to legislate to restrict the building of new homes and schools next to existing power lines.

May 2007

Department of Health refers SAGE to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) for advice.

June 2007

World Health Organisation (WHO) Environmental Health Criteria Monograph on Extremely Low Frequency Fields (No.328) describes low-cost precautionary procedures to reduce exposure to ELF EMF as ”reasonable and warranted”.

Early Day Motion 1784 – urging the Government to make a clear decision whether or not to implement the recommendations of the Draper Report in light of the advice of the SAGE report – is tabled in the House of Commons. It gains the support of 146 MPs.

July 2007

Cross-Party Inquiry into Childhood Leukaemia and Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields (ELF EMF) reports, calling for Government to introduce a building moratorium within at least 60 metres of existing High Voltage Overhead Transmission Lines.

Early Day Motion 1949 in the House of Commons supporting the recommendations of the Cross-Party Inquiry is tabled. It gains the support of 76 MPs in just 4 months.

August 2007

An interim response to the SAGE Report is sent by the Chair of the Health Protection Agency, Sir William Stewart, to the Department of Health, but not received by the Minister’s office.

November 2007

The final response to the SAGE Report is sent by the Chief Executive of the Health Protection Agency, Professor Pat Troop, to the Department of Health.

Keith Brown MSP tables a Motion in the Scottish Parliament on EMF and health. The motion notes the Cross Party Inquiry report and calls on the Minister for Public Health to adequately safeguard Scotland’s citizens from this risk. It gains the support of one third of all MSPs.

January 2008

The Housing Minister announces that the Government is ‘considering’ the ten points in the Health Protection Agency guidance on the SAGE Report.

February 2008

Nick Hurd MP, Richard Benyon MP and Dr Brian Iddon MP table amendments to new government bills on Housing, Planning and Energy, to prevent power lines and houses being built close to each other. The Government responds by saying it will bring forward precautionary measures later this year.

The Petitions Committee of the Scottish Parliament considers a petition about power lines (PE812) tabled by the campaigners against the Beauly-Denny line. The Committee is very supportive of the aims of the petition and agrees to write to the Scottish Government ‘strongly recommending action’ on this issue.

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