NCRP Scientific Committee 89-3 on ELF EMF
Here is an excerpt from Bridlewood EMF Health Effects, that may answer the above query: The latest official recognition of the health risk comes in a leaked
[emphasis mine, ed.] United States National Council on Radiation Protection
report funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and written by eleven
leading American experts in EMFs. Bob Edwards, in the October 7, 1995
issue of New Scientist, writes that the report recommends an EMF safety
limit of 2 mG (0.2 microteslas). He writes: An article in Science (Vol. 269, 18 August 1995, p. 911) reported that "After spending nearly a decade reviewing the literature on electromagnetic fields (EMFs), a panel of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) has produced a draft report concluding that some health effects linked to EMFs such as cancer and immune deficiencies appear real and warrant steps to reduce EMF exposure... Biologists have failed to pinpoint a convincing mechanism of action." The American College of Radiology made a statement on the release of preliminary NCRP information. "Contrary to many erroneous sources of information, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) has not made recommendations on Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (ELF EMF), according to Charles Meinhold, NCRP president." According to "Battling EMF Reports" in Environews: "A draft report of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) calls for exposure limits to minimize potential health hazards associated with EMFs, but it's unclear whether the prematurely publicized recommendation will survive peer review." And from the NCRP itself, a press release:
Send this newsletter to a friend. NCRP Has No ELF EMF Recommendations Contrary to many erroneous sources of information, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) has not made recommendations on Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (ELF EMF). Draft material formulated by NCRP Scientific Committee 89-3 on ELF EMF has been improperly disseminated and does not reflect NCRP recommendation. When an NCRP scientific committee completes what it considers to be its final draft, the draft enters an extensive review process. This process generally follows the following scenario: (1) general peer review by several selected expert reviewers, (2) revision of the report based on the comments received, (3) review of the revised draft by the 75 NCRP members and approximately 50 organizations involved in the Council's program, (4) further revision of the report to address the comments proffered -- keeping in mind that the 75 Council members must be virtually unanimous in approval before a report can be issued. The draft report in question will soon be ready to enter step (1) above. Therefore, it has absolutely no standing at this time. Thus, it should not be copied, quoted, cited, or referenced outside of the NCRP. Considering the extensive nature of the review process, it is impossible to predict when the NCRP may have a report on the subject of ELF EMF and it is not possible to know the extent of recommendations that might be made. One of the primary objectives set forth in the Congressional Charter of the NCRP is to collect, analyze, and disseminate information and recommendations about radiation protection and measurements. The unauthorized distribution of the current draft material is certainly not the sanctioned means of "disseminating" information. This situation makes evident the value of following NCRP's procedures, which for more than 60 years have served the public interest, and have proved effective in producing a consensus of the leading scientific thinking on matters of radiation protection and measurement. It is hoped that interested parties will ignore the improperly disseminated draft report material and allow the NCRP process to proceed.
So while I can understand why somebody might use the word "suppressed",
it is probably not technically accurate. If you follow the above link
and read the DRAFT report, you'll see that most of the quotations, while
accurate, were made slightly out of context, making the recommendations
seem more extreme; and, the review process was entirely overlooked. Review
or not, it looks like this NCRP report is going to be a major political
hot-potato ... |