Marty Horan looked out his kitchen window last summer and saw construction workers ripping up the abandoned railroad tracks that ran behind his home in suburban Lincolnwood. People on Kenneth Avenue wondered what would take the place of the Chicago & North Western trains that once cut through the tall grass and weeds on the utility right-of-way. Except for a slight hum from electric power lines, this stretch of land had been relatively quiet.
Horan’s questions were answered by a community newspaper. According to a story in the July 15 Nadig Reporter, a group of Sauganash residents asked their alderman, Anthony Laurino (39th Ward), to find out whether power lines were going to be installed on the Chicago portion of the right-of-way. Laurino held a public meeting with Com Ed last July. A Com Ed representative said the utility had purchased the Chicago & North Western right-of-way, but it had no plans to place high-tension wires south of Devon. However, he couldn’t rule out installing transmission lines in the suburbs north of Devon.
Electromagnetic fields (known as EMF) exist everywhere there is electricity. These fields (measured in units called “milligauss”) are generated not only by electric power lines but also by many other sources, such as household wiring, microwave ovens, television sets, computer terminals, and electric blankets. Almost everyone is exposed to EMF every day.
All researchers agree that more research needs to be done. M. Granger Morgan, head of the department of engineering and public policy at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the author of an EMF study commissioned by the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, thinks people’s fears may be legitimate, but now is not the time to panic. “We’re pretty sure that fields can cause physical changes under certain conditions, but whether or not it’s a danger to the public health is another issue. If fields present a risk–and they may, and it’s possible–the risk of getting cancer would be minimal. Society as a whole should do more research, but individuals who are exposed to EMF should not spend lots of money or sell their homes.”
Norm Snitovsky, a friend and neighbor, read Horan’s draft. “I asked Marty to tone down the first letter. It sounded a bit alarmist. But I’m convinced Marty’s letter played a great part in arousing the people to take action.”
Concerned citizens bullied the utility’s unprepared representatives into setting up another meeting. Zoub introduced herself to Horan, and they–along with Horan’s wife Anita, Snitovsky, and Irv Zeman–formed the Citizens’ Committee.
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Horan started contacting government agencies and public-interest groups to enlist support for the Citizens’ Committee. The Citizens Utility Board sent a representative to Horan’s home. CUB wanted to attend the meeting with Com Ed but asked Horan not to tell people its representatives were coming. “It appears to be Com Ed’s policy to avoid meetings we attend,” says Martin Cohen, associate director of CUB. “They will refuse our invitations, and they will not show up at the same forum. But we didn’t tell anyone we were going to the meeting in Lincolnwood. We don’t want people to think we’re exploiting the issue–that would be a typical Edison charge. We just want to make sure the citizens get a fair shake.”
