The controversy over the alleged health hazards due to exposure to electromagnetic fields ( EMFs) is being driven by fear of the unknown. It has been motivated by the abuse of scientific techniques, primarily by a medi.a frenzy based on an appeal to the sensational rather than to the scientific. Litigation was the result and not the cause of this activity. Litigation is not yet a major factor driving this issue forward, although it threatens to be a crisis in the very near future. While addi.tional EMF research may be justified in order to di.spel these fears, the current research effort seems out of proportion to the threat, even as defined by the purportedly positive studi.es. However, the extent of the public concern is now a major issue for industries dealing with power transmission and telecommunications. It threatens their continued profitability in a very significant way. Liability management activities on many levels are required to protect company image, product reputation and corporate profitability.
European Energy and Environmental Law Review