Kindergartens closed due to radiation concerns

Trailers used as kindergartens closed over concerns of radiation levels from high voltage power lines, municipality insists levels 'are safe'

Reuters | Published: 09.07.08, 22:57

Over 100 children from three kindergartens in Petah Tikva will be staying at home these coming weeks, the reason; a high voltage line passing very near the kindergartens and, according to the parents, emitting very high levels of Non-Ionizing Radiation (NIR). In a letter to the mayor of Petah Tikva, Yitzhak Ohayon, the parents have demanded the situation be dealt with quickly, and until it does, they will be keeping their children at home.

"As the summer vacation was coming to a close, the city's lack of Kindergartens, forced the municipality to quickly build several kindergartens", explains Yehuda Havsha, one of the parents. According to Havsha, the municipality had placed several trailers in the neighborhood. These trailers were then designated as kindergartens, but at the beginning of the school year, the parents discovered that the main power line for the neighborhood passed very close to the trailers.

The Petah Tikva municipality, at the parent's request, carried a radiation survey of the area and determined that the level of radiation was safe.

Expert says concerned

The parents asked Dr. Ehud Ne'eman, a radiation specialist who was certified by the Environmental Protection Ministry, to conduct an independent test of the area. His results showed that the radiation levels were five times higher than what is considered safe.

One spot showed the levels of Non-Ionizing Radiation (NIR) to be at 5.2, while at another section of the kindergartens the level stood at 10. Due to regulations regarding radiation, the Environmental Protection Ministry relies on recommendations made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer; those recommendations say that a prolonged exposure to levels higher than 2 NIRs is a serious health risk.

While speaking to Ynet, Ne'eman stated that "the situation is very disturbing." According to him, the measurements he took showed higher than normal levels, and since we are dealing with children here, I

recommended that they don't play in those kindergartens."

The municipality of Petah Tikva said that "a certified radiation surveyor from the city's environment protection department carried out measurements on Sunday. The result showed conclusively that the radiation levels are lower than the ones reported by the expert that the parents brought in. an examination was carried out on 3.9.2008 by the Environmental Protection agency showed that the Kindergartens can get back to work without worry".

In response to questions regarding safety, the municipality maintained that "the power lines in question are regular ones, used to connect electricity between structures; they are not high power lines."