Paul Brodeur

In a classic demonstration of constitutional democracy in action, groups of citizens on Cape Cod and in California have confronted the Air Force over the safety of some giant radars being installed on the east and west coasts of the United States. Starting independently in the spring and summer of 1977, the twin protests proceeded from informal exchanges of information between people concerned about the health hazards of microwave radiation emitted by radar, to involvement with various environmental organizations, to the enlisting of support from members of the medical and scientific community. A ripple of inquiry then traveled up through the social and political structure of the nation as efforts to alert town, county, and state officials were followed by letters to congressmen and senators, who, in turn, sent letters expressing concern to influential colleagues, to regulatory agencies, and to the Department of Defense. The momentum and pressure generated by all of this finally paved the way for a series of question-and answer meetings between citizens’ groups and representatives of the Air Force. These meetings

Back in December of 1971, the Electromagnetic Radiation Management Advisory Council — a nine-member panel established by the President’s Office of Telecommunications Policy — issued a report on the potential health hazards of radio waves and microwaves. The Council stated that “The electromagnetic radiations emanating from radar, television, communications systems, microwave ovens, industrial heat-treatment systems, medical diathermy units, and many other sources permeate the modern environment, both civilian and military.” The Council declared that “This type of man-made radiation exposure has no counterpart in man’s evolutionary background,” and that “Power levels in and around American cities, airports, military installations and tracking centers, ships and pleasure craft, industry and homes may already be biologically significant.” The Council also warned that “the consequences of undervaluing or misjudging the biological effects of long-term, low-level exposure could become a critical problem for the public health, especially if genetic effects are involved.” As it turned out, this ominous warning went almost unnoticed and unreported at the time it was delivered, and was totally disregarded by the military-electronics industry complex that