Title
Studying the Effects of Electro-Magnetic Fields on the Health and Well‑Being of Stó:lō individuals, Families and Communities
Fiscal Year
2009-2010
Community/Region
Sto:lo Tribal Council and Seabird Island First Nation (Agassiz), British Columbia
Principal Investigator
Dave Scheape, Sto:lo Research and Resource Management Centre
Community Project Lead
Rosalie Hope
Project Members
Robyn Heaslip (MRM – Project Lead), Tyrone McNeil (Stó:lō Tribal Council), Rosalie Hope, Jay Hope, Susan Johnny, Sheena Edwards, Lolly Andrew, Erica Austin, Amanda Peters, Carrielynn Victor, Cara Brendzy and Mike Kim
Project Summary
The Stó:lō people are a spiritual people living as one with the environment that they are part of. S’olh Temexw, the Stó:lō homeland, has changed drastically over the past 150 years, and the effects of such changes are felt at various levels throughout the community. One change has been the development of transmission lines in the area. The Stó:lō Tribal Council (STC) chose to study electromagnetic fields (EMF) because community members had expressed concerns about possible health effects from living near transmission lines.
The objectives of this study were to: 1) review the existing evidence that EMF exposure, at certain intensities, can have adverse health effects; 2) test the levels of EMF exposure in the homes of community members; and 3) conduct a health survey by interviewing community participants.
Based on the EMF exposure testing, it was estimated that 72% of Stó:lō community members lived in homes with high amounts of EMF. The results supported the findings of other international research, which showed increased electro-hypersensitivity (EHS) among people who were chronically exposed to high levels of EMF as manifested by symptoms such as anxiety, poor short-term memory, nausea, ringing of the ears, arthritis, allergies/sensitivities, depression, digestive issues, dizziness, ear and other infections, high blood pressure, stress and vision problems.
The study recommended that homes, schools, daycares, and other buildings where children reside should not be located within 100m of transmission lines. Furthermore, they recommended negotiating with government agencies and industry, such as BC Hydro and the British Columbia Treaty Commission, to decrease the amount of “load” currently carried by transmission lines and find additional ways to mitigate their health effects on the community. Recommendations for Stó:lō families included going “wired” whenever possible, limiting children’s use of all wireless devices, and unplugging devices when not in use.