The Case for Safety

But while both believe that the evidence about RF is extremely troubling, they concede that the proof remains weak. Kelly puts stock in studies that suggest a higher rate of miscarriage among women exposed to RF (one Finnish report showed a fourfold increase for women working on computers that put off high EMF levels), and says that other surveys have hinted at sleep disturbances and reduced mental capacities in children under such circumstances. However, she knows that "there are definitely studies that show there are no problems at all. So even though, in my opinion, there are enough things in the literature that suggest there may be problems, and argue to me that we shouldn't take a chance, others might be able to look at it and say, 'This falls into a gray area.'"

Weil shares Kelly's frustrations. In March 1999, he was one of ten staffers from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, where he worked at the time, to sign a letter sent to Jefferson County commissioners opposing the digital tower. But he says that even though "there's a lot of smoke surrounding these emissions, I can't put it with any fire, based on the studies available. The numbers aren't well-understood." As a result, his argument against the tower is based less on clinical verification that the basic tenets of his craft.

"It's real simple," he says. "In medicine, the prime directive is, 'First, do no harm.' So if there appears to be at least a potential for risk, why expose children to it? To me, it's just a no-brainer."