I wonder if editor John Harding and Mayor Marc Lefebvre are old enough to remember tobacco science. It was in, I believe, 1955, that a British doctor began to question the safety of tobacco use.
The tobacco industry is a very powerful industry, so when questions about tobacco safety arose, the industry hired scientists to assure the public that their product was perfectly safe. It took decades for independent scientists to get out the truth about tobacco safety. Of course tobacco smoke was dirty and unpleasant to be around (and yes, I was a smoker then) so many in the public were anxious to remove this product from their lives.
Today, we have another powerful industry, but it provides convenience and is seemingly harmless. The industry doesn’t want any impediments in distributing their products, and remember, they are a powerful industry.
Since there are many kinds of microwave technologies and since most members of the public are uneducated about the topic, they rely on ‘experts’. Now, please remember the “scientists” who told us that tobacco was safe; how do you know if the ‘experts’ we are listening to today are linked to the industry that has developed microwave technologies or if they are truly independent scientists?
Without becoming a scientist, you can research issues surrounding microwave safety and then decide who are the trusted experts — in fact, since the editor is there to serve the public, it is Harding’s job to educate the public and it should be the mayor’s job as well. Please don’t belittle those who question this safety, and educating themselves could, in the end, help protect their loved ones.
Sheila PrattMaple Ridge