In the backyard of Steve Ryan’s home where his daughters, ages 8 and 10, play on a swing set, power lines loom overhead.

The girls are unaware of the invisible electrical current that emanates from the substation just 13 feet away behind a 23 foot wall.

“It’s doing damage to us that we can’t even tell right now,” said Ryan, as he looked up at the power lines on Friday afternoon. Ryan gathered with other neighbors who are all concerned about the Puget Sound Energy substation at 10910 N.E. 132nd St. in Juanita that was recently relocated behind their backyards.

The neighbors claim that aside from the damages caused by construction over the past several months, a more detrimental threat has emerged since PSE turned the substation’s power on at the end of January. They fear the electromagnetic fields (EMF) that surround the substation pose a potential health risk to at least 10 families who live nearby. The health risks include childhood leukemia, brain tumors and birth defects, among others.

Though numerous international studies have produced contradictory results on the risks of EMF, some experts are convinced there is a link between exposure and health problems.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there is a “casual link” between EMF exposure and cancer. The agency proposed a safety standard of 1 mG (a Gauss is a unit of measurement of magnetic field strength) and advises “prudent avoidance” of the exposure. However, the agency hasn’t officially set that standard due to lack of sufficient evidence.

“Our permit states that substations are not a predominant source of magnetic fields for surrounding properties,” said Shauna Tran, an employee of PSE in an e-mail response to Heslop and the neighbors. “EMF levels from substations are minimal because they are designed with low EMF-producing equipment such as switches, transformers and circuit breakers. PSE correctly stated the overall EMF levels to surrounding properties will not increase significantly.”

But the neighbors dispute that claim, saying an independent analysis shows otherwise.

On the neighbor’s request, PSE used an independent business, GeoEngineers, to conduct measurements before and after the substation was constructed. The final report shows EMF levels increased by nearly 78 times at some locations on the neighbors’ property.

The report shows an increase from 0.6 mG at Heslop’s property line with the substation to 24.0 mG after the power was turned on. The data also shows increased levels in his dining area, living room and bedroom.

“So the three places you spend the majority of your time in your house, and I work from home, so I’m consistently being saturated,” said Heslop, an engineer by trade who has done consulting work for PSE and environmental consulting in the past. He said he tries to stay as far away from the western side of his house as he can to avoid exposure.

He added PSE’s response to the neighbors is “anything below 830 mG is fine,” said Heslop, who has taken the lead on an effort to hold PSE and the City of Kirkland responsible. “What they’re failing to say is that all these studies that have been done are short-term exposure. We’re being exposed 24-seven.”

However, PSE spokesperson Gretchen Aliabadi said that the company builds all of its infrastructure to meet all federal, state, county and city health and safety standards. She cited international agencies such as the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which recommends a maximum public exposure level of 830 mG.

“There are no (EMF) standards in the U.S.,” Aliabodi said, adding those recommendations are “guidelines” and not standards. “Thirty years of research has not shown any impacts from EMF.”

PSE spokesperson Davina Gruenstein added that the increase of 78 times on Heslop’s property “might sound significant, but if you’re looking at the public exposure (recommended) limits, it’s not a significant number. It’s taking it all into context. A lot of these folks are making judgements or taking positions from information they find online and half of it’s not credible.”

But Heslop said he has contacted several experts in the field who back the neighbor’s claim. And now, the neighbors just want out.

Since PSE turned the substation’s power on, Patrick McClusky and wife, Michelle, are looking to sell their home they’ve lived in for 30 years – as soon as they can.

“There goes our future,” Patrick said, adding, “It’s not my EMF – it’s theirs (PSE). They’re trespassing on our property.”

Michelle said a few days after the power was turned on, she started having severe headaches every day.

“I can’t sleep at night,” she said. “I wake up because I’m in pain, which is not normal for me.”

Neighbors say one of the biggest issues is the affects the high levels could have on their children and grandchildren who reside in or visit the homes. One of the neighbors is also pregnant.

EMF levels are 8 mG at both Heslop’s and Ryan’s family playground in their backyards.

“If my daughter wants to play on her playground, it’s all over the place,” said Heslop, who has a three year old daughter who is currently living with her mother to avoid the exposure. “PSE is going to try and say there’s been studies. But for every expert that says there’s not an issue, we find 20 that say yes (there is a risk).”

The initial issue between PSE and the neighbors centered on the gigantic wall that separates the substation from the neighbors’ homes. But the wall was not as big of a deal as the damage done to the homes from the vibrations from the construction.

The neighbors requested an independent business to conduct an investigation after PSE repeatedly denied that the damage was caused by the construction.

However, the results of the investigation may have proved PSE wrong, Heslop said, noting that PSE has conceded on some of the construction issues.

“Upon receipt of your claim, PSE worked through the issues with you and agreed to hire an independent evaluation by a structural engineering firm of your choosing,” said Tran. “We take full responsibility for any damage caused by our construction and (we are) currently working with you to bring the claim to a close.”

A PSE spokesperson could not verify whether the construction caused damage to the homes or not.

But the damage to their homes is now the least of their worries. The neighbors are requesting that PSE buy their homes and hope that they won’t have to take the corporation to court.

“Let’s say in 10 years all these studies come out with absolute proof that EMF causes cancer, we’ve already been sitting in our homes saturated for 10 years, so when I have brain cell issues, when our children have childhood leukemia – when all these things occur – now we have a suit, now we have legs to stand on but we’re already dying,” said Heslop. “All the money in the world doesn’t counteract you dying or having all these problems.”

The neighbors demand that the city and PSE take immediate action.

“We’re not going to back down,” said Heslop. “This is our lives.”

Council’s response

Heslop said the city has “washed their hands” of the neighbor’s complaints with the substation project, which seemed to be the case at the Feb. 16 council meeting.

The group used the public comment portion of the meeting to express their issues with the city.

During a two-part presentation to the council, Heslop said he had evidence that the EMF that are given off by the substation are beyond the acceptable standards by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“PSE and the City of Kirkland effectively condemned our homes and put our lives at risk,” said Heslop.

In the past, council members have stated that the substation application process was a “learning experience,” to which Heslop responded: “This is a learning experience at our expense, affecting both our health and finances.”

Ryan went further: “With or without knowing, the City of Kirkland allowed a project that put something in my backyard that has been positively linked to childhood leukemia. My daughter’s swing set is eight feet from that and I think you need to put a face to this.”

Ryan pointed out his daughter Julia and continued to speak with a terse tone.

“This put her life at risk, we can’t live in this house anymore,” said Ryan. “I’d like to know what are we going to do?”

Mayor Joan McBride said the neighbor’s issues are with PSE and not the city.

But the issue of whether the council had enough information to make a clear judgement to approve the substation to begin with is not clear.

“The massive increase in the EMF due to the substation is very concerning to all of us, dangerous and completely contradictory to what PSE stated in their application, and the application the city approved without question,” said Heslop.

Aided by slides and graphs to drive home his point, Heslop told the council that a private party has proven PSE wrong.

“At 15 feet it is seven times higher than what is considered to be the maximum safety standard,” said Heslop. “You can imagine what it gets to in our houses since our houses aren’t too far from the substation.”

Heslop claimed that PSE used studies that are 10 to 30 years old in the application process and compared it to the tobacco industry using research from the 1950s to justify smoking as not hazardous.

“I would hope that the level of fraud and incompetence displayed on this project is unique, but sadly it seems to be more the norm with dealing with the City of Kirkland and PSE,” said Heslop.

But contentious words were sparked when Heslop attacked the council’s process for accepting PSE’s application for zoning changes.

“The City of Kirkland did no independent fact finding,” said Heslop. “(Former City Councilmember) Mary Alyce (Burleigh) threw a tantrum saying the city can’t afford it. Yet the council spent $5,000 to investigate emails of a fellow city council member.”

McBride said: “I want to thank you for your comments but I just want to point out that when you brought in a former council member, who is no longer here, that just doesn’t help our conversation.”

The city approved a Process IIA Zoning Permit and Variance to allow the new substation to be built on the northern portion of the site. The site already contained a 50-year-old substation on the southern portion. The variance was granted to allow for a reduced setback, landscape and the height of the new substation. The project allows PSE to supply more power to Kirkland and the now annexed neighborhoods of Kingsgate, Juanita and Finn Hill.

The group of neighbors claim that the city was negligent when it allowed the rezoning for the substation in a residential area and the variances.

Editor Carrie Wood contributed to this report.