It has come to my attention that Wiltshire County Council has put its own interests above those of record office users.

The proposed new facility will be positioned next to a very large electrical substation. This substation is substantially larger than those used in residential areas. The assumption must be that it was built in its present isolated position so that it was remote from residential areas.

The impact of significant electromagnetic fields on the human body over prolonged periods is, as yet, poorly understood. Despite this, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) a specialised cancer research agency of the World Health Organisation has already classified electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans.

The ICNIRP (International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) standing committee on epidemiology has stated: "There has been a large body of high-quality data for childhood cancer, and also for adult leukemia and brain tumor in relation to occupational exposure."

Record office users and employees will spend many hours working within such a field. In comparison the time spent by students in the small facility on the other side of the substation has been of limited duration.

The county council is left with two alternatives: to move the facility away from the field or to move the substation. Merely locating the car parking area next to the substation will not resolve the problem.

D.M.Colcomb

Devizes