Are the 49ers injuries a result of bad luck or EMF waves? [View all]

[Auggie]

Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle / Jan 16, 2026

A viral social media post, with 20 million-plus views, claims that the 49ers’ ongoing injury woes might be linked to the team’s practice fields being located next to the (Santa Clara, CA) Silicon Valley Power Mission Substation.

SNIP

Peter Cowan, in an X thread containing material originally on his Substack, claims the 49ers’ years-long injury epidemic might be due to low frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) waves flowing over the fence from that substation.

“Low-frequency Electromagnetic Fields can degrade collagen, weaken tendons, and cause soft-tissue damage at levels regulators call ‘safe,’” Cowan asserts in his X post. His profile on what used to be Twitter cites “circadian science-photobiology-biophysics,” and he says, “I use the principles of biophysics and circadian biology to help people improve their health and heal from chronic illness.” I reached out to him via email but received no reply.

The damage to tendons, Cowan said in a podcast, is like what happens to a rubber band left in the sun too long. In his post, Cowan states, “The damage is subtle, until a routine cut or block ends in catastrophic rupture.”

Link (paywall): https://eedition.sfchronicle.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=acd50d24-35bb-4880-887e-d7ef9fa11e39&

According to the link ...

• Some 49ers players, past and present, apparently have been on to this theory for years.

• Decades ago there were fears and reports that living or working near high-power utility lines caused all kinds of problems: death to cows and crops and damage to humans’ internal wiring (after years of studies, since concluded, science discovered a weak possible link to childhood leukemia).

• New studies have resumed fueled by the 49ers’ rash of injuries. Per Fox Sports' wild-card broadcast, the 49ers’ 74 games missed by Week 1 starters is third most in the NFL.

• Frank Barnes, professor emeritus at the University of Colorado Boulder, has been studying EMFs for six or seven decades. Says Barnes, "we don't know for sure."

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Probably bad luck. One way they could test this is to move the practice facility.