Fountain Valley : High-Tension Fields at School to Be Tested

The Fountain Valley Unified School District trustees have agreed to allow Southern California Edison officials to test electromagnetic fields generated by high-tension power lines near at least one school site.

Although several board members said they do not want to make decisions based on the measurements, they followed Supt. Ruben Ingram’s recommendation to allow the tests in case future research proves that electromagnetic fields cause health problems.

A group of parents, the Future Education Protection Committee, has raised concerns that such power lines near Roch Courreges Elementary School and several other schools may pose health risks to children. They point to research linking increased cancer rates with prolonged exposure to electromagnetic fields.

Edison officials, who maintain that there has been no causal relationship proven between electromagnetic fields and health problems, have taken measurements at the school. However, Edison’s measurements have differed drastically from those taken by the group of parents.

As early as next week, Edison officials and parents will go to the schools together to take more measurements.

Richard Meza, district manager for Southern California Edison, said tests will probably begin at Roch Courreges and may include other schools, depending on what parents and district officials request.

“It’s a start,” said Allen Brandt, attorney for the parents group, which plans to take its own instruments to test simultaneously. “My concern, though, is that they’re doing it under pressure and not voluntarily. That could affect what they do, based on the results.”

Relying on advice from health officials, two of whom spoke at the board meeting, Ingram said interpretation of the test results will be impossible, because no standards for electromagnetic results exist.

Board member Stephen J. Einstein said if the district is going to err, he wants it to be on the side of health and safety.

“Maybe the state of California needs Fountain Valley to be the catalyst to get it to move,” he said. “We can’t set state policy, but we can make a little noise.”