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Residents tell county: data centers could harm children’s health and disturb neighborhoods
Summary
Multiple residents cited studies, personal experiences and medical concerns—ranging from EMF exposure to particulate matter and noise—and asked the commission to require independent modeling and enforceable mitigations before approving data centers.
Multiple residents and parents told the Leavenworth County Commission that proposed hyperscale data centers could pose risks to children and nearby households, urging independent studies and legally binding mitigation commitments.
Cecilia Pruitt cited a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association linking prenatal fine particulate exposure to increased autism risk, saying the county should not make local children "the test case." Linda Steele pushed for measurable EMF regulations and suggested a 0.01 milligo limit for county ordinances. Austin Lunsford said his son's severe seizures correlated with household EMF exposure and warned that a 1.2-gigawatt data center adjacent to his property would be a "life and death" matter for his family. "If this is done, we will have no choice to leave," Lunsford said.
Speakers asked the county to fund and require independent, peer-reviewed air-quality, acoustical and hydrogeological modeling before any approvals and to make product-disclosure and monitoring conditions legally enforceable for the life of any facility. County staff acknowledged the concerns and said the planning and zoning process will receive proposed regulations and that the commission is working to make project information available online for public review.
