# NWI Occupational Exposure Baseline Pilot

## One-Page Summary

**The Problem:** The West Lake Corridor (electrified Monon Line) opened March 31, 2026 — but no one is measuring the occupational exposure to EMF and infrasound for the 15,000+ workers in the Hammond-Whiting-East Chicago industrial corridor.

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### What We're Measuring

| Exposure | Sources | Health Classification |
|----------|---------|----------------------|
| **ELF/EMF** (3–300 Hz) | Rail power, industrial equipment, transformers | WHO/IARC Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic) |
| **Infrasound** (1–20 Hz) | Pile driving, machinery, ventilation, rail operations | Linked to sleep disturbance, nausea, dizziness |

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### The Industrial Corridor

| Employer | Type | Est. Workers |
|----------|------|--------------|
| BP Whiting Refinery | Petroleum | ~3,500 |
| Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor | Steel | ~3,000 |
| Cleveland-Cliffs Indiana Harbor | Steel | ~4,000 |
| Unilever | Consumer Goods | ~300 |
| Dover Chemical | Chemicals | ~200 |
| Cargill | Agribusiness | ~150 |

**Total: 15,000+ workers with zero baseline exposure data.**

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### What We're NOT Doing

- ❌ Claiming EMF or infrasound causes specific diseases
- ❌ Targeting any specific company
- ❌ Seeking regulatory action
- ❌ Disrupting operations

### What We ARE Doing

- ✅ Establishing the first baseline dataset
- ✅ Measuring actual exposure levels
- ✅ Creating a regional resource
- ✅ Enabling future research

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### The Ask

| Item | Purpose | Timeline |
|------|---------|----------|
| **SBDC Support Letter** | Endorse pilot as economic development | May 2026 |
| **Purdue RF Alliance** | Equipment access (EMF meters, infrasound sensors) | June 2026 |
| **SBIR Phase I** | $323,090 for pilot execution | Aug 2026 |

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### Key Evidence

- **Jafari et al. (2025):** Systematic review — ELF-EMF linked to fatigue, sleep disturbance
- **WHO/IARC (2002):** ELF magnetic fields = Group 2B carcinogen
- **MDPI Applied Sciences (2021):** Infrasound linked to sleep disturbance, nausea, dizziness
- **Bowman (2013, NIOSH):** $5,100/worker/µT economic benefit from mitigation

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**This is environmental due diligence, not disease investigation.**

The same logic as Phase I environmental site assessments, radon testing, or lead paint surveys — establish baseline before concerns arise.

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*Anthrocybernetics Research Office | Purdue Tech Center — Crown Point | May 2026*