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1、PassageEleven(TheAffectofElectricityonCancer)Canelectricitycausecancer?Inasocietythatliterallyrunsonelectricpower,theveryideaseemspreposterous.Butformorethanadecade,agrowingbandofscientistsandjournalistshaspointedtostudiesthatseemtolinkexposuretoelectromagneticfieldswithincr
2、easedriskofleukemiaandothermalignancies.Theimplicationsareunsettling,tosaytheleast,sinceeveryonecomesintocontactwithsuchfields,whicharegeneratedbyeverythingelectrical,frompowerlinesandantennastopersonalcomputersandmicro-waveovens.Becauseevidenceonthesubjectisinconclusiveando
3、ftencontradictory,ithasbeenhardtodecidewhetherconcernaboutthehealtheffectsofelectricityislegitimate—ortheworstkindofparanoia.NowthealarmistshavegainedsomequalifiedsupportfromtheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency.Intheexecutivesummaryofanewscientificreview,releasedindraftforml
4、atelastweek,theEPAhasputforwardwhatamountstothemostseriousgovernmentwarningtodate.Theagencytentativelyconcludesthatscientificevidence“suggestsacasuallink”betweenextremelylow-frequencyelectromagneticfields—thosehavingverylongwave-lengths—andleukemia,lymphomaandbraincancer,Whi
5、lethereportfallsshortofclassifyingELFfieldsasprobablecarcinogens,itdoesidentifythecommon60-hertzmagneticfieldas“apossible,butnotproven,causeofcancerinhumans.”Thereportisnoreasontopanic—oreventolostsleep.Ifthereisacancerrisk,itisasmallone.Theevidenceisstillsocontroversialthat
6、thedraftstirredagreatdealofdebatewithintheBushAdministration,andtheEPAreleaseditoverstrongobjectionsfromthePentagonandtheWhitHouse.Butnownoonecandenythattheissuemustbetakenseriouslyandthatmuchmoreresearchisneeded.Attheheartofthedebateisasimpleandwell-understoodphysicalphenom
7、enon:Whenanelectriccurrentpassesthroughawire,titgeneratesanelectromagneticfieldthatexertsforcesonsurroundingobjects,Formanyyears,scientistsdismissedanysuggestionthatsuchforcesmightbeharmful,primarilybecausetheyaresoextraordinarilyweak.TheELFmagneticfieldgeneratedbyavideoterm
8、inalmeasuresonlyafewmilligauss,oraboutone-hundredththestrengthoftheearth’so
