Fifteen minutes.
That's the estimate of time it could take for “the liquid tissue” of the eye to be damaged by close proximity to the electromagnetic radiation emitted by three electronic warfare trucks the Navy wants to deploy in Clallam, Jefferson and Grays Harbor counties, Navy official Jerry Sodano said Friday.
The Pacific Northwest Electronic Warfare Range project would entail the first use of electromagnetic radiation for the Navy training that pilots now simulate by internal aircraft controls.
(EDITOR'S NOTE — Previous story: "For war games next year, Navy wants to post trucks with electromagnetic radiation equipment on West End"
The Navy's environmental assessment, which includes plans for protecting people and large animals, found no significant impact from the $11.5 million warfare training project, planned to be operational on the West End by September 2015.
But the Navy's environmental assessment was not specific about the intensity or maximum potential exposure of the vehicles' electromagnetic emitters.