Working with Dr. Leeper, Wertheimer, a physicist, determined that the children living in houses exposed to high level magnetic fields were twice as likely to develop leukemia as those in areas with low magnetic fields. This finding has triggered a large volume of research and much litigation. Dr. M. Granger Morgan, Head of the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, has prepared several brochures which summarize findings and make suggestions for appropriate actions. Figure 1 relates the research dealing with the cancer risk to children from residential exposure to magnetic fields. Figure 2 relates adult cancers to exposure to power frequency magnetic fields.
New studies are in progress.
The source of magnetic fields is the electric power used in homes and schools. Whenever current flows through a conductor or is present in a conductor, fields of electrical charge and magnetism are generated around the wire. These are electromagnetic fields. Without these fields, transformers and motors would not work. The magnetic fields generated will pass through most materials without being affected, while electric fields are affected by materials that are conductors.