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The Company was set up by Garry Homer to provide independent expertise in the subject of non-ionising electromagnetic radiation. This developed from him having been the Electric and Magnetic Field (EMF) Liaison Officer for an Electricity Distribution Company.
In the early 90s he visited a family who were seeking an answer to why their child had died. They remembered seeing a television programme years earlier about overhead lines and they started to become concerned for the well being of their family.
In their view, their situation was the same as in the programme. They could see some overhead lines a few streets away and they also had a substation near to their home. After a series of careful magnetic field measurements were made and explained, the family began to feel better about their situation.
The measurements clearly demonstrated that external sources of magnetic fields had not created significant fields within the house. The internal magnetic fields were mainly created by electrical equipment within the house. Unfortunately the family had already started a chain of events and further visitors came to their home. However, when the visitors made similar measurements the values were said to be high and the family became very worried once more.
Garry also visited other families and individuals that were equally worried. Some visits were at the request of staff working on the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study. The families and individuals visited needed good information on which to base their judgement. Good information is available from the electricity and telecommunications companies, but it is not always accepted as being true. Even the National Radiological Protection Board can find themselves being cast in a bad light by those of opposing views.
The catalyst for the creation of this Company is a conviction that good independent advice can prevent or overcome unnecessary anxiety. Where it becomes necessary to take readings of the magnetic, electric or electromagnetic fields, this needs to be carefully carried out. A good measurement survey protocol addresses both the practical constraints on carrying out the measurements and the beliefs of all the people involved.
Simply carrying out a measurement survey to a high technical standard is not enough to ensure that concerns held by key individuals have been addressed. It is essential the concerns of these individuals be addressed by the measurements made. A final report that lacks the measurement evidence will always be looked upon as being incomplete, or worse, someone may even think there was something to hide.
Too often reports are produced using standard formats for the measurement survey and report writing. While we agree that some standardisation is necessary, it must also be flexible enough to aid understanding.
For example, to produce a report on a mobile phone mast for a school that fails to mention, let alone explain, what is meant by non-thermal effects is abysmal. Especially when during the measurement survey parent representatives were asking questions and struggled to understand what created non-thermal effects. The representatives miss-understood what was happening to the point of thinking the measurements being carried out were not meant to identify any of the non-thermal elements being emitted by the mobile phone mast! They even expressed this view to the media during the measurement survey!
It is easy to see why any parent could believe that non-thermal measurements were being deliberately avoided. Measurement survey protocols and reports must marry with the level of understanding of the expected audience while still fully addressing their concerns.
We have the experience to avoid these lost opportunities to further understanding. Professional competence in this arena is more than the application of technical skills.