Powerline Harm - Israel
Following miscarriages and cancer increase, the workers of the education ministry fear that the poweline near the building emits high levels. The solution of the ministry's executive: go home early. One of the workers in response: "this is a sad joke."
Workers in the education ministry were informed that the working day of part of them would be shortened from now on in two hours. However the workers are not satisfied. The reason: it is not a prize, but an intermediate solution of the ministry's executive in order to deal with the worker's claim on radiation in the offices that endangers their health. During the last years, workers in the education ministry noticed an increase of cancer among the workers, and many cases of miscarriages among the women workers. They decided to hire a private company, that determined that the building is near a powerline that emits high levels of magnetic field, especially in the upper floors of the buidling. The education ministry checked also several times but the results were not received yet. The workers fear for their health, they approached lately to the executive of the ministry, Dalit Shtauber, and she promised to check the subject and how it's possible to make it easier for the workers.
In an email that was send to the workers from the executive, they were told that the education ministry and the Civil Service Commission, decided on a temporary solution that will make the anxiety and the panic feeling easier, until the findings of an industrial doctor's radiation check will be accepted. It was decided to approve temporarily a shortened working day
of 6 hours for 95 workers in the floor where high radiation level was found, was written in the notice to the workers.
"I am glad that the effort to shorten the working day for the workers in the floors where high level of radiation was found,
yielded fruit and I see it as an important achivement for the relief of the worried workers"
One of the workers told Ynet that "it's a sad joke, also 6 hours of exposure to radiation is dangerous to health and if the building is really dangerous then it's time they close the offices and transfer us to another place".
From the education ministry it was told that "Dalit Shtauber, the ministry's executive, received the decision to temporarily approve the working day to 6 hours for the workers from good will to make it easier on the panic and anxiety that the workers expressed to her. And this is until the reception of an industrial doctor. It would be clarified that this decision is not a recogniton in the danger of the radiation or a decision that the workers are in an increased exposure to the radiation. A decision on this subject will be received only by a check of an industrial doctor, who is an expert for this issue
article in hebrew
Israeli power company engineer in the unit of hazards prevention, Dr. Ben Zion Cohen: "not all the populations are aware of the risk of radiation from high voltage powerlines, but why wake the bears from their lying down?" Place: in a discussion with the Knesset public complaints committee with MP David Azulai, Ben Zion Cohen amazed the committee members. The subject of the meeting was the fight of residents to transfer high voltage power line in Bnei Brack, a fight that lasts for years.
Committee chairman: "the company cannot ignore its responsibility for risks"
Knesset Spokesman notice on the Knesset's website:
Amazement among the members of the public complaints Knesset committee, on Wednesday,
following the admission of an environment quality engineer in the power company.
A year ago a resident of Bnei Brack, approached to the committee in order to get help, regarding
high voltage powerline near his house. He funded a radiation check which revealed higher levels
than the standard of the env. ministry.
Committee chairman: it is impossible that a resident will be exposed to continuing risk because of an argument between the municipality and the power company about funding the transfer of high voltage powerline.
David Azulai, the chairman, approcahed the mayor of Bnei Brack and to the power company executive
in order that they find the way to transfer the powerline from the street.
Azulai informed that he would approach the health ministry in order to check whether there exists policy on the subject of high voltage powerlines in populations centers. In the discussion it turned out that the cost to
transfer the high voltage powerlines is between 400,000- 500,000 shekels.
Knesset member Uri Makleb: dozens of families suffer from the radiation. These are people who pay taxes and it is impossible that the authorities risk their health.
Knesset member Israel Ichler: The power company invests billions in infrastructures, they must transfer the powerlines by law. In the city of Manchester, UK, there was a case of parents who died following similar exposure to radiation and the local power company must pay money to the children for all their lives
Manager of the env. quality in the municipality of Bnei Brack, Moti Vilovski: the municipality gave twice a special area to transfer transformer in the street but the company avoided doing it.
Manager of the national marketing branch in the power company, Zvi Segev: according to 2002 law, the company is committed that all the network and the distribution in populated areas will be under the ground. Experts committee forced the company to give 8-10 billion shekels every year to bury the infrastructure in the ground in order to diminish the phenomenon of magnetic fields, in addition there was determined priorities order, in the head of the list are schools and kindergardens.
Power company engineer in the unit of hazards prevention and env. license, Dr. Ben Zion Cohen: the company gave the env. ministry the list of installations in the country and radiation check for which the env. ministry is responsible for. Every citizen can file a request to transfer the line and the company checks the issue. The norm in the country enables several milligauses, which is true in the case of Reines stress in Bnei Brack. Not all the populations are aware of the risk of radiation, but why wake the bears of their lying down? already above 30 years there has been not proven an undoubted risk. Maybe yes maybe not. Whoever wants can enter into the website of the company and see if he is in the area or not
Knesset spokesman press release:
"The power company builds on the lack of awareness and rejects transfer of high voltage power lines from populated areas" (hebrew)
Globes article (hebrew)
No comments:
Post a Comment