This past July, the New York Times reported that a prominent scientist "lied" concerning his 1992 findings that electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation can be linked to cancer. You gotta love a guy who can falsify this kind of light fare. You gotta love him because if you don't, nobody will.

Even when scientists play by the rules, its hard to determine what to believe and what to forget. But the federal government believes that this man did not play by the rules. The feds say that he discarded volumes of study results that did not support the finding that he wanted, thereby grossly skewing the results.

The scientist settled with the government, neither admitting nor denying the charges. However, the settlement provides that the scientist my not formally appeal the findings of guilt. He told the Times that it was more cost effective to simply settle under those terms, than to fight.

Why would some one cheat? Probably for many reasons. But in this case, the scientist stood to receive sizable sums of grant money if the findings suggested a link between EMFs and cancer. So he might have cheated, if he did at all, for the money. Certainly, the feds think he cheated for the money.

If its is all a lie, was anyone hurt? Try selling a home under a high tension wire. Realtors know that this can pose a rather interesting "challenge," even in the case of homes that are otherwise readily saleable. When they are sold, ask a Realtor if the price had to be lowered because of the wires. I think that prices have suffered 5 to 15%.

If it turns out that there is no connection at all, think of all the people who live near these wires and could not move. Many of these people believed that they were becoming sick, and that their innocent kids were being made sick, as a result of EMF exposure. How terribly cruel -- especially if its true that it was made up.

People who fake data cause harm that goes beyond the study focus that is close at hand. Liars make us question everything, even things that we ought to believe. Liars make people disbelieve all scientists including the vast majority who are hard working professionals.

As an environmental lawyer with an interest in such matters, I followed the EMF issue for the past several years. I knew that scientists took both positions, and I also knew that nothing conclusive has apparently ever been produced.

But I never imagined that the books may have been cooked. If EMFs ultimately turn out to be a health problem, who will ever believe it? And if we learn that they represent no appreciable threat, look at how many people truly suffered because of one man's hoax.

It goes to prove that you really can't believe everything you read or watch on television. This was a wake up call. Even slickly presented information may be worthless junk. We were all blessed with brains not sponges. Don't just sponge up whatever people tell you.

For anyone interested, the National Center for Public Analysis has some related information. While we may have all been scammed, let's learn from the experience.

Published: August 12, 1999

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