🚀 go-pugleaf

Dear interested EMF research volunteer:

Before you think 'No', let me assure you that I am not asking you to work 
your tail off 12 hours a day, nor wear out two pairs of shoes in daily 
door to door canvassing. - On the contrary, I am asking you to do 
practically nothing ..... as follows:

1. Lean back from the computer for a moment and close your eyes,

2. Try to remember anyone having given birth to, or was born with 
physical birth defects in your family, among friends, acquaintances and 
co-workers.

3. If you locate a person born with birth defects, try to find out if his 
(her) mother or father may have been riding electrically operated transit 
vehicles, like trams, street cars, trolley busses, subways or rapid 
transit trains during the period of conception or pregnancy.

4. Report back the details of your findings (See 'PS 1" below).

5. Now, open your eyes again and continue as if nothing has happened.

However, if this all intrigues you, here is a little background:

1. Some time ago NYT reporter Sandra Blakeslee wrote an article which 
included this paragraph: "Each year in the United States, at least 
250,000 babies are born with physical birth defects.  The cause of 60 to 
80% birth defects is not known, although many scientists suspect that 
environmental toxins play a role in a sizable number. The male 
contribution may be substantial, researchers say." (250,000 p.a. 
nationwide means about 7,000 p.a. in the San Francisco Bay Area or 20 per 
day.)

2. If you need a break from <tin>, I suggest you do a little browsing 
through <emflink>, look especially at the Status Report conducted for the 
State of Maryland.

3. Also to be found in <emflink> under  'Reader Comments by Phone, Fax, 
NET, and Post' is my October 1994 letter, which is also attachment hereto.

4. The purpose of asking for your (somewhat unscientific) help is to see if:

a. My suspicions could be supported with statistics,

b. Real scientific research in this area should follow,

c.  Prospective parents should be warned away from electric transit,

d. Public transit should be asked to install EMF shields.

That is all folks, Yours Ernst G. Knolle

PS 1: In your reply, do not repeat text of this letter. I suggest you 
respond with your data in a single line as in the following sample: A = 
SF, B = 6, C = 4, D = streetcar/BART, wherein A  is your location, B is 
how many  children with birth defects you have located, C is how many of 
B had at least  one parent riding electric transit  prior to conception 
or during pregnancy, and D are the names of the type of electric transit 
they rode.

PS 2: I promise to eat my hat, if anything useful comes out of this. 


ATTACHMENT

EMF-Link
Information Ventures, Inc.

Ladies & Gentlemen:

First of all, I think you are doing a great job.

My somewhat marginal interest in EMF dangers arose incidentally to my 
pursuit of inventing, designing, manufacturing and promoting maglev 
transportation systems. Thrown together with other maglev people year 
after year at various conventions, one couldn't avoid hearing about EMF 
concerns.

Then some time ago, an engineering acquaintance reported to me that, when 
he was riding our Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART), he observed a 
paper clip on the car floor rising to the upright position during 
acceleration. He wondered if I could determine the magnitude of the EMF 
necessary to raise that paper clip. I was unable to do it, since I just 
did not have powerful enough magnets. However, I estimated that it would 
require about  500,000 milligauss.

When I heard more recently of studies that linked EMF levels in the 
double and even single digits to a variety of ailments, I alerted the 
local news media to look into BART's possibly six digit EMFs. Some 
responded to investigate. It was shown on TV and they found nothing 
really drastically wrong. As BART management explained, their trains are 
powered by DC, which was declared safe by federal and state agencies. I 
even received a  letter of explanation from a BART attorney, which gave 
me the feeling that the next time someone wants to walk through the train 
with a gauss meter, he better first get a court order. The news media was 
miffed at me for sending them on a wild goose chase and my calls to 
redress the matter were not answered.

But, I don't scare easily. - Based on engineering drawings and technical 
descriptions, BART actually does rectify incoming AC power to DC which is 
then picked up by the trains via a third rail. But, as the DC power 
enters a rail car it is immediately chopped or inverted back to AC at a 
centrally located inverter. It is then carried by cables to the motors in 
the front and rear bogies. It is my opinion that the large EMF levels 
coming up through the floors of BART cars are due to low frequency 
alternating currents (AC), and thus should be deemed a danger to 
passengers. 

Could this be the situation also with other train systems? - Let's save 
some lives!

Very truly yours, Ernst G. Knolle,maglev scientist.