South Redondo Beach Residents Believe Stray Voltage Is Causing Unexplained Illnesses
SOUTH REDONDO BEACH (CBS) — A group of SoCal mothers believe electricity is making their families sick.
CBS2’s Paul Magers spoke with these residents to find out why they think nearby power lines and their neighborhood substation is creating unsafe living conditions.
“This is my hair loss from one shower,” said Lori Barber, a resident in South Redondo Beach.
(credit: CBS)
“I absolutely worry about health issues,” Doris Don-Lou Richmond, another mother in the area, told us.
Mary Contreras is another mother who said her daughter has been experiencing a variety of gastrointestinal problems and that half of her esophagus is paralyzed.
These women offered story after story of unexplained medical issues that have been affecting them and their families in recent months.
Their neighborhood is lined with schools and churches – and a Southern California Edison substation which sounds out electricity to the city of Redondo Beach.
When you first arrive in the neighborhood you may not notice the substation, innocuously surrounded by green hedges. Many residents said they didn’t even realize the substation was there until after they purchased their homes.
The first 5 homes to be built on Barber family’s street were used to house the Edison employees that worked at the facility. They had intended to tear down the homes and building to expand the substation.
However, Edison sold the homes in the ‘90s. The Barbers bought one of those residences in April 2010 from a previous owner and their baby Adelaide was born in November of that same year.
Three months later, their Barbers said their daughter was diagnosed with unexplainable gastrointestinal issues.
“I can’t help but believe it’s related to living here,” Barber said. “I have a 14-month-old baby girl that was just in the hospital last month with issues that we still don’t 100 percent have answers for or that just don’t make sense.”
Mary Contreras lives around the corner, directly behind the substation, and didn’t have answers for her son’s or daughter’s illnesses either, or the headaches that plague her daily.
“My son, he was diagnosed with a tumor, with a lot of joint problems,” Contreras said.
(credit: CBS)
There is no proof what caused these illnesses but these residents believe electromagnetic fields (EMFs) generated by the Edison power lines are making them ill.
Barber’s husband, Tom, showed us the power lines surrounding his home.
“We have a situation that we have electricity from high from both sides, high from over there and underground from in front of the house,” Tom Barber said.
“You’re in your own boxed-in microwave.”
At their request, Edison has been out to measure the EMFs in all of their homes. Edison notes on its paperwork that one milligauss is the average reading in most homes. The company reported that this South Redondo community had readings that ranged between 4.1 – 32.6.
Edison said EMF readings vary based on what is inside a home: not all readings relate to power lines.
Doris Don-Lou Richmond has EMFs ranging from 5.4 – 13.9 on her property and an electrically charged gas line. The gas company’s marked her meter “11 Volts” – alerting employees to stay clear.
“It’s been three and a half years, they haven’t resolved the issue, and there’s no notation on my account other than they are not allowed to touch my gas line due to it being electrically charged,” Richmond said.
Another neighbor purchased the Edison home closest to the substation. Simona Wilson believes something called “stray voltage” is seeping into her shower and has jolted her body, causing nerve damage.
“When we learned about Simona’s situation we kind of thought it was interesting and we started reaching out to people,” Barber said.
Wilson vacated her home last September and has filed a lawsuit claiming that Edison was aware of the stray voltage for the past 20 years. She recently underwent a hysterectomy, a medical issue she also believes is linked to the Edison substation.
“I just feel horrible that we’re sitting here together while one of our neighbors is having surgery,” Barber said.
“Obviously, we’re not the only people on this block that have an issue and if you didn’t raise hell about it they weren’t coming to your house,” Barber said, referring to Edison.
CBS2 took their concerns straight to Edison.
“Certainly, I don’t dismiss customers’ frustration but to sort of characterize that we have not been engaged in trying to solve issues, you know, it’s unfortunate,” said Steve Conroy, of SoCal Edison.
“The first complaint that we actually received was around 2004, and it had to do with an issue of stray voltage,” Conroy said.
(credit: CBS)
It turns out that was not the case. Edison later corrected their information in an email stating they made disclosures about EMF readings and were aware of stray voltage issues as early as 1999 – years before some of these women even moved into the neighborhood.
Conroy cited scientific studies when concluding that there was no direct correlation between EMF and health concerns.
“There’s no evidence to say EMF is safe,” according to Dr. De-Kun Li, Ph.D., of the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute. He’s studied electromagnetic fields for 15 years.
Li said no one is certain which EMF levels are safe and which are dangerous. However, his research recently linked EMF exposure to miscarriages and asthma. He says even though there’s no federal standard on EMFs people need to know to take precautions.
“My study shows above two milligause could be potentially problematic, particularly when exposed for a long time,” Li said.
That’s why the Barbers said they moved out last November.
“I’m leaving,” Contreras said. “I can’t stand to put my children and my husband and myself at risk.”
“If Edison is not willing to buy back our house or give us back what we’ve put into it we’ve potentially have lost it,” Lori Barber said.
And for many families along Knob Hill there are too many unanswered questions.
“I want to know why I have electricity in my gas line and I want it fixed,” Richmond said.
“There are substations in neighborhoods that don’t have EMFs or stray voltage – so, why does this one?” Barber asked.
Some residents are concerned about the possible effect of the electricity on nearby schools.
Alta Vista Elementary School sent a note home to parents after CBS2 reported on the situation earlier this week, saying both Southern California Edison and the gas company have checked the school and believe there’s no threat.
Edison said the company will work with Simona Wilson’s family on the stray voltage issue and says she can even hire the contractor of her choice to fix the problem.
The company also said they are working with the gas company to determine if there’s any stray voltage on the gas line.
http://beta.local.yahoo.com/news-south-redondo-beach-residents-believe-stray-voltage-causing-unexplained-illnesses.html
