North East Pylon Pressure (NEPP, www.pylonpressure.ie) is a group advocating that the planned North Overhead Transmission electric powerline through Meath, Cavan and Monaghan should be buried underground.

Supporters of NEPP have erected signs in various locations in county Meath and, either through confusion about radiation, or as a blatant scare tactic, they have deliberately featured a nuclear radiation symbol.

Electromagnetic radiation, nuclear radiation, what's the difference, you might ask, its all radiation and it all sounds like bad news, right?

Actually there IS a big difference between electromagnetic radiation (EMF) and nuclear radiation. In this particular case, its more than just scientific terminology at stake. People living in the areas near the planned power lines, who may asked to decide on the issue of powerlines, are being given incorrect information by these signs. Schoolchildren taking a science course may be confused about the type of radiation involved.

Nuclear radiation (radioactivity) occurs in three types, alpha radiation, beta radiation and gamma radiation. Alpha and to some extent beta radiation is relatively weak, whereas gamma radiation is something you normally don't want anywhere near you. The scientific evidence for the harmful effects of nuclear radiation, which comes from the inside of the atom, is overwhelming and not in dispute. However, the proposed powerlines will not emit nuclear radiation of any type.

The powerline WILL emit significant amounts of EMF radiation but the evidence for possible harmful effects from EMF is not as indisputable as that for nuclear radiation. NEPP members argue that that there is evidence of medical issues caused by EMF. You can read more about their arguments at PylonPressure.ie.

Whatever the merits of NEPP's case, I am more concerned here with the effect these incorrect signs about nuclear radiation are having on the whole debate on the powerlines.

The NEPP website does not make any mention of nuclear radiation. However, although the NEPP have been aware of these misleading signs for at least the last year, so far they have not been removed or amended. These erroneous signs can only weaken their case, since they can be used by Eirgrid, the company building the powerline, to show that NEPP are using incorrect facts in their arguments against the powerlines.

Patrick Kennedy IrishSkeptic.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/nepp-nuclear-radiation-and-powerlines-in-ne-ireland-793204.html

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