About Powerwatch

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Powerwatch is used as a forum for a small group of knowledgeable engineers, scientists and medical researchers who are concerned about the consequences of irradiated 'blue world' we are creating.

Powerwatch has been researching the links between electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and health risks for about 30 years, and is completely independent of government and industry. We gather information from around the world about EMFs, in order to help the lay person understand this complex issue. We have designed a number of instruments so that the general public can find out what they are exposed to, and have written numerous publications on the latest research, what is understood and what is not known, and what you can do to minimise any high fields you may be regularly exposed to.

Powerwatch was formed in 1988 to fight a proposal for a large new electricity substation in Norfolk, England, UK. This was on a greenfield site and was to be built to free up an existing one on a valuable industrial site. The original driving force behind it was Neil Mayhew, a road safety engineer working for Norfolk County Council. The issues included electromagnetic effects on health, appropriate power use and energy efficiency. Powerwatch was commended by the Inspector for its professional and appropriate input to the Inquiry.

Around the same time, Alasdair Philips (see below), a professional engineer was Newsletter Editor for a group called Electronics and Computing for Peace. He and colleagues had been investigating the claimed (mis-)use of non-lethal electromagnetic weapons by the military, one particular example being the 'zapping' of the women peace protesters at Greenham Common ~ a RAF base being used by the American military as a Cruise Missile base. When they visited the Greenham Airbase they measured microwave beams, amplitude modulated at extremely low frequencies, aimed directly at the women by the US military. Interestingly, this was confirmed to Alasdair at a meeting where he was speaking by senior UK Home Office officials at a Mobile Phones and Health Effects conference held in Whitehall, London, in 1996.

As well as building up a database of both Russian and American military electromagnetic weaponry literature, it soon became clear that low frequency electric and magnetic fields from power lines and electrical appliances were also suspect of being able to cause, or at least promote, adverse health effects, especially childhood leukaemia.

Until the summer of 1998 Powerwatch was a membership organisation open to members of the general public. Although we had about 600 members, most of them just wanted news and advice and it was not proving possible to find the time and resources to run it properly.

In 2004, Graham Lamburn joined the team as scientific and technical manager, with a background in IT, database management and statistical maths, and took on responsibility for the website, media and press enquiries, and keeping the scientific literature on the site up to date.

Since then Powerwatch has been an association of skilled people, maintaining this web site and providing a consultancy service on a commercial basis to businesses and to the general public, and providing technical input to local Councils and Government.

Alasdair Philips is qualified in both Electrical and Electronic Engineering and in Agricultural Engineering. He has worked in industry and academic research over the past 50 years. He is a Trustee of a major UK Charity, Children with Cancer UK. He has been instrumental in helping organise international conferences on research into the treatment and causes of childhood cancer. The 2018 conference was primarily about causal factors and mechanisms of childhood and young adult cancer. He gave a talk on Day One which is available on the conference website.

Philips has equity interests in two small companies (EMFields and Sensory Perspective Ltd) that supply EMF and RF measurement equipment and supplies. Since 1986 he has built up a considerable knowledge of biological EMF effects, and is one of the leading voices on the subject in the UK.

Powerwatch is used as a forum for a small group of knowledgeable engineers, scientists and medical researchers who are concerned about the consequences of irradiated 'blue world' we are creating.