Electromagnetic fields and health is topic of the next Frontiers of Science Lecture at Syracuse University

Electromagnetic fields and health is topic of the next Frontiers of Science Lecture at Syracuse UniversityMarch 28, 2003Judy Holmesjlholmes@syr.edu

A national expert on the environment, safety and health will present “Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) and Health Hazards: A Physicist’s Perspective” April 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Syracuse University College of Law’s Grant Auditorium. The lecture, a joint presentation of the University’s Frontiers of Science Lecture Series and the Syracuse chapter of Sigma Xi, is free and open to the public.

Presenting the lecture will be Aviva Brecher, senior scientist on transportation safety, health and environmental issues at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Systems Center in Cambridge, Mass. Brecher has spent a decade finding ways to consistently measure, characterize and compare electromagnetic fields (EMF) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR). Concerns about over-exposure to both EMF and EMR and related adverse health and environmental effects have persisted for 30 years. Yet extensive research, including that mandated by Congress, has found weak and inconsistent scientific evidence of any adverse effect of EMR or EMF to public health. The studies have failed to allay public fears, and the debate continues. EMF and EMR sources are increasingly common in modern society. Sources include home and office appliances, computers, electric transportation and power lines.

The Frontiers of Science Lecture Series is sponsored by SU’s departments of Science Teaching, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Mathematics and Physics in The College of Arts and Sciences; the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science; the School of Education; the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and several community organizations.