Our public meeting to discuss the Health Issue in Balirlogie last December was well attended and attracted coverage from the BBC One Show. The BBC aired the feature across the UK and we hope this has helped to publicise the serious health issues more widely. The health of thousands of people in Plean, Fallin, Cowie and Stirling will be put at risk if this proposal goes ahead. An estimated 2000 plus people in the Stirling area alone will be within 600m of the line – a distance at which a significant increased risk of childhood leukaemia was reported in the Draper study. There are approximately 40 properties within the critical 200m band at which there is a 70% increased risk of childhood leukaemia. Ochil MSP Keith Brown also introduced his parliamentary motion, S3M - 800 regarding the Westminster Cross-Party Inquiry Report into childhood leukaemia and power lines.
The Stirling Public Inquiry started on Tuesday 20th November in the Golden Lion Hotel, Stirling. The reporters repeated their intention that the science of EMFs and health risk would not be revisited, having been dealt with at the Strategic Public Inquiry in Perth in Feb/March of this year. However, this subject forms the basis for the massive local concern for health shown in Stirling and it is imperative this concern is properly addressed at the Stirling session. We have the full support of local MSPs, including Bruce Crawford, Keith Brown, Richard Simpson and former MSP Sylvia Jackson. The Applicants are clearly reluctant to address our genuine health concerns and attempted to have many of our supporting documents disallowed on the grounds that they are not relevant. These documents reaffirm the Stirling public's fears that the Beauly to Denny proposal will have a seriously detrimental impact on their health and we are delighted to report that they have now all been allowed.
Stirling Public Inquiry Timetable
Although this Panorama programme focusses on the WiFi (wireless technology) issue and not powerline EMFs (electric and magnetic fields), many of the individuals and organisations interviewed work in both fields. The programme highlights the obstacles set by industry to prevent precautionary health measures being adopted, when the evidence for a potential health hazard is high.