Strong letter
By admin. Filed in shoes |
SNP MSP Keith Brown said the cross-party inquiry at Westminster had recommended not building near to power lines, and added that other countries already adopted a precautionary approach to the issue.
Dr Simpson and Mr Brown spoke out at Holyrood’s Public Petitions Committee, where colleagues were considering a petition calling on MSPs to urge ministers to acknowledge the potential health hazards associations with long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields from high voltage power lines.
The petition, from the campaign group Stirling Before Pylons, is also demanding planning regulations be brought in as a matter of urgency.
Committee member Nigel Don said the Scottish Government had to look beyond the existing evidence on the issue.
He said: “Research over a period of time builds up information from which eventually even the most blind can deduce what is totally obvious.
“The risk is governments and other organisations wait until the evidence is totally overwhelming.
“We should look at how evidence is building up.”
The North East Scotland MSP added: “If you hang around long enough, enough evidence will be built up, by which time it may be too late.
“What we need to encourage the government to do is not look at the evidence we have at the moment, but to where it might lead and look over the horizon.”
Committee convener Frank McAveety said the committee would send a “strong letter” to the Scottish Government on the issue.
