Is AM Radio Harmful?
 

This is a link to an article investigating leukemia rates in areas near AM
transmitters.

http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,64579,00.html

I don't doubt that high levels of RF can be dangerous. The first two chief
engineers I worked with both died of cancer in their 50s.

Maybe they got cancer from some other cause (both smoked), but I still feel
like I'm inside a microwave oven anytime I'm around an AM transmitter site.

"lsmyer" wrote in message
...
This is a link to an article investigating leukemia rates in areas near AM
transmitters.

http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,64579,00.html

I don't doubt that high levels of RF can be dangerous. The first two chief
engineers I worked with both died of cancer in their 50s.

Maybe they got cancer from some other cause (both smoked), but I still
feel
like I'm inside a microwave oven anytime I'm around an AM transmitter
site.




Wouldn't FM broadcast antennas be an even greater concern? The height of
most adults would make them resonant somewhere near, or in, the FM broadcast
band. I'd expect energy transfer to be more effiecnt from the FM broadcast
antenna to the human body than it is in the AM broadcast band.

Anyway, there's been over 80 years of kW+ levels of AM broadcasting, and it
seems strange this leukemia concern has gone unnoticed until now.

Frank Dresser

"lsmyer" wrote in message
...
This is a link to an article investigating leukemia rates in areas near AM
transmitters.

http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,64579,00.html

I don't doubt that high levels of RF can be dangerous. The first two chief
engineers I worked with both died of cancer in their 50s.

Maybe they got cancer from some other cause (both smoked), but I still
feel
like I'm inside a microwave oven anytime I'm around an AM transmitter
site.

The thoroughly undocumented cases (no studies of groundwater contamination,
etc.) was based on the effects of stations with twice the power allowed in
the US on AMs.

Low levels of AM as experienced in the US would be very different.

"David Eduardo" wrote in message
...

The thoroughly undocumented cases (no studies of groundwater
contamination,
etc.) was based on the effects of stations with twice the power allowed in
the US on AMs.

Low levels of AM as experienced in the US would be very different.

While I think this whole thing is just another pseudo-science scare.... It
is NOT true that US stations have much lower field strength on AM. AFAIK,
very few foreign stations are directional at any power. Some US 50 kW
stations have pretty potent ERP in their beam. Not a megawatt, but quite a
bit nevertheless.

I'm a lot more worried about teens and others I see wandering around with a
cell-phone permanently attached less than an inch from their brain.

It's not the radiation. It's the hatred.

On 18 Aug 2004 14:15:19 GMT, "lsmyer" wrote:

This is a link to an article investigating leukemia rates in areas near AM
transmitters.

http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,64579,00.html

I don't doubt that high levels of RF can be dangerous. The first two chief
engineers I worked with both died of cancer in their 50s.

Maybe they got cancer from some other cause (both smoked), but I still feel
like I'm inside a microwave oven anytime I'm around an AM transmitter site.

"Frank Dresser" wrote in message
...

Anyway, there's been over 80 years of kW+ levels of AM broadcasting, and
it
seems strange this leukemia concern has gone unnoticed until now.

Hi Frank,

Good point but compare to asbestos causing cancer where it can take 60 years
to appear.

I also often wonder what PCs are doing to us all staring at them all day,
we may be in for a big health shock in the years to come!

Also mobiles may ruin the brain. The consequences could be disastrous.

Happy thoughts!!

Cheers

Mike

On 18 Aug 2004 21:25:13 GMT, "Frank Dresser"
wrote:


"lsmyer" wrote in message
...
This is a link to an article investigating leukemia rates in areas near AM
transmitters.

http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,64579,00.html

I don't doubt that high levels of RF can be dangerous. The first two chief
engineers I worked with both died of cancer in their 50s.

Maybe they got cancer from some other cause (both smoked), but I still
feel
like I'm inside a microwave oven anytime I'm around an AM transmitter
site.




Wouldn't FM broadcast antennas be an even greater concern? The height of
most adults would make them resonant somewhere near, or in, the FM broadcast
band. I'd expect energy transfer to be more effiecnt from the FM broadcast
antenna to the human body than it is in the AM broadcast band.

Anyway, there's been over 80 years of kW+ levels of AM broadcasting, and it
seems strange this leukemia concern has gone unnoticed until now.

Frank Dresser

It is another one of these cases where there may indeed be a link, but
there is no assurance at all that the link is causative. For example
you can find a link between smoking and cirrosis of the liver. Many
smokers are also significant drinkers. It wasn't the smoking that
caused the problem, but the smoking and other behaviours that are
causative are often seen together. I.E. most high power AM
transmitters are in major cities, and there are significant other
hazards from things like air pollution that exist independent of the
AM broadcast facilities.

As far as those working around the equipment, I'd be more interested
in the potential X-ray exposure. The voltages used in high power
transmitter tubes produce significant X-ray hazards, and these weren't
recognized for a long time.

Frank Dresser wrote:
Wouldn't FM broadcast antennas be an even greater concern? The height of
most adults would make them resonant somewhere near, or in, the FM broadcast
band. I'd expect energy transfer to be more effiecnt from the FM broadcast
antenna to the human body than it is in the AM broadcast band.

I'd sure think so.

On the other hand, the FM signal is radiated from an antenna atop the
tower. Stand at the base of a 300' FM tower, and you're 300' from the
thing that radiates.

At an AM station, the entire tower radiates.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

In article , lsmyer wrote:

I don't doubt that high levels of RF can be dangerous. The first two chief
engineers I worked with both died of cancer in their 50s.

Maybe they got cancer from some other cause (both smoked), but I still feel
like I'm inside a microwave oven anytime I'm around an AM transmitter site.

These were folks who engaged in common engineering practices like soaking
a rag in carbon tetrachloride to clean PCB oil from failed capacitors out
of transmitter chassis, right? God knows we all did that sort of thing...
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

The RF energy could conceivably have an effect on cell membranes and the
potentials that develop across cell membranes. Perhaps some cells are more
sensitive to such changes in membrane potentials and lead to higher incidences
of certain diseases which in this case is leukemia.

As for not noticing the correlation for over 80 years that isn't so unusual. It
really is contingent on many factors including the increase in the number of
stations over the years, the increase in power over the years, the proximity of
the population to RF over the years (ie. the shift from a rural to an urban
population), the extent of the exposure, lifestyle and dietary changes and so on
and so on. It such a case it may take quite awhile to isolate a potential
causative agent and even then it wouldn't be overwhelmingly conclusive proof.
Too many variables to take into account.

Regards

John Barnard

Frank Dresser wrote:

"lsmyer" wrote in message
...
This is a link to an article investigating leukemia rates in areas near AM
transmitters.

http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,64579,00.html

I don't doubt that high levels of RF can be dangerous. The first two chief
engineers I worked with both died of cancer in their 50s.

Maybe they got cancer from some other cause (both smoked), but I still
feel
like I'm inside a microwave oven anytime I'm around an AM transmitter
site.




Wouldn't FM broadcast antennas be an even greater concern? The height of
most adults would make them resonant somewhere near, or in, the FM broadcast
band. I'd expect energy transfer to be more effiecnt from the FM broadcast
antenna to the human body than it is in the AM broadcast band.

Anyway, there's been over 80 years of kW+ levels of AM broadcasting, and it
seems strange this leukemia concern has gone unnoticed until now.

Frank Dresser