I checked my Goldings. They do not smell of electrical fires. I just noticed while bagging some of my Cascades that there was a faint electrical fire smell that I hadn't noticed in my earlier Cascade. I made an IPA with my earlier-picked Cascade and it tastes great but not as intense as desired.
So I think that the electrical fire does not come from pollution, but may be due to terroir, farming skill (or lack thereof) and C hops. Possibly late picking of hops intensifies the electrical fire taste but I wasn't looking for the electrical fire earlier in my Cascades. I haven't ruled out the possibility that I am perceiving C hops in a way that is somewhat unique; I'll have to dry hop one gallon of beer and try it on other homebrewers.