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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 27, 1993                   TAG: 9302270126
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

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ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS NEED STUDY, EPA SAYS

The Environmental Protection Agency called for vast research on potential dangers from electromagnetic fields Friday. It said too little is known to gauge risks from exposure to sources ranging from power lines to such everyday items as TV sets and hair dryers.

At issue are the invisible force fields generated by anything electric.

Controversy over the subject has been growing for more than a decade. Numerous studies have shown higher rates of some cancers near power stations or other areas of high electromagnetic activity, but none of the studies has been considered conclusive.

EPA recommended both human and animal studies to try to determine just how much impact electromagnetic fields have on human biological systems.

Top priority should be given to possible cancer effects and changes in the body's functions as well as an assessment of how much human exposure is potentially harmful, the report from EPA's Office of Research and Development said. - Associated Press

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