Industrial solar farms may not be “potentially spreading like a cancer” across the homeland. But misinformation about them easily does, and a misled public is a far more hideous blight on Montgomery County than solar panels.
As a former journalist, I know how daunting it is to get up to speed on complicated topics quickly. The more emotional the issue is, the tougher it gets to separate the truth from the taradiddle.
Groups like the California-based Center for Electrosmog Prevention that have been embraced by opponents of large solar operations rely on fringe scientists to amplify dubious claims about the health risks of solar panels.
One of the fringe scientists wrote a book arguing that electricity causes type 2 diabetes and other common diseases, a theory most mainstream medical experts say lacks strong evidence. The other fringe scientist is an alternative medicine proponent warned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration multiple times for selling unapproved health products.
Additionally, the author of the article spreading the claims did not even bother to include their name, identifying themselves only as the center’s “director.” A disclaimer on the center’s website says “while all reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the validity of the information given, no warranty is given towards the accuracy or efficacy of advocacy efforts.”
Residents who have passionately testified at government meetings and written letters to the editor in opposition to industrial solar farms should be commended for their civic engagement. Should they not devote at least as much energy to scrutinizing their information sources?
Nick Hedrick
Rural Crawfordsville
