11 Schools Ask for Checks of EMF Level

In the wake of revelations that a high electromagnetic field level was measured at a Sherman Oaks elementary school, 11 schools have requested that their electromagnetic field levels be checked, district officials said Tuesday.

Two weeks ago, parents at Dixie Canyon Avenue Elementary demanded that the Los Angeles Unified School District move an electrical transformer located next to a kindergarten classroom because of concerns that electromagnetic levels measured there were too high.

Electromagnetic fields, often shortened to EMF, are present wherever an electric current passes through a wire. They are the subject of scientific debate as a cause of childhood cancer.

The 11 schools’ requests were prompted by news reports about Dixie Canyon, Los Angeles Unified School District officials said. They are probably the first of many requests, said Susie Wong, director of the district’s environmental, health and safety branch.

“I think there are going to be more (requests),” Wong said. “But people have to put this into perspective of what the risk factor is and how it compares to a variety of other risks.”

In December, the Department of Water and Power took a measurement of 107 milligauss at the teacher’s chair in the bungalow classroom at Dixie Canyon. The average house has an EMF reading of under 2 milligauss. After the district announced the readings March 11, the school moved the 33 children from the classroom. One week later, under continued parent pressure, the district agreed to move the transformer away from the bungalow.

Neither the DWP nor the district have a standard for acceptable EMF levels. But the measurements at Dixie Canyon and the parent outrage about them prompted a district review of 27,000 sets of plans for 650 school sites to determine how many transformers are located next to classrooms. Officials are also examining a range of ways to move or shield transformers deemed too close. The remedies range from about $10,000 to about $100,000.

“We won’t ignore this,” Wong said. “But I think we need to go to someone to establish a standard. The school district is not a research institute.”