What Are the Dangers of Living Near Power Lines?

In 1979 the results of a high-profile epidemiological study concerning a possible link between power lines and cancer were published. The research, conducted by Nancy Wertheimer and Ed Leeper, linked childhood leukemia rates with residential distance from power lines. While the study failed to account for various compounding environmental factors, it did create a great deal of concern and inspired years of further study into the matter. (See reference 1)

• Birds relaxing on a power line

Background

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), moving electrical currents, such as those in power lines, form invisible auras known as electromagnetic fields (EMF). The stronger the electrical current, the more pronounced its EMF will be. These fields however, decrease rapidly at greater distances from their source. (See reference 2) Since power-transmission lines exist in most neighborhoods and typically contain between 85 to 550 kilovolts (kv) of electricity, there are questions regarding the potential EMF effects upon those residing nearby. (See reference 1)

The Current Debate

• While the WHO does not dispute the evidence that exposure to EMFs above certain thresholds can have adverse biological effects, it maintains the position that vulnerability to potentially harmful levels of electromagnetic energy should be restricted by national and international guidelines. Therefore, today's debate over the dangers of living near power lines revolves around whether or not long-term exposure to low-level EMFs poses any health hazard. (See references 3)

The Draper Study

• In June 2005 the results of a case-control study on childhood cancer in relation high-voltage power lines were published. The research, which was conducted by Gerald Draper, an honorary senior research fellow at the University of Oxford's Childhood Cancer Research Group, concluded that there was a raised risk of childhood leukemia in children who lived within 200 meters of high voltage lines at birth. Further, the study also found that a slightly elevated cancer risk existed for children living between 200 and 600 meters from the lines at birth. (See resources 2)

Contradictory Findings

• In July 1994 the findings of a similar study were published in a journal entitled "Cancer Causes and Control." The research was carried out by the Harvard School of Public Health's Technology Assessment Group in Boston, which concluded that earlier studies, such as that conducted in 1979 by Wertheimer and Leeper, had been imperfect and imprecise. The Harvard group found no relationship between proximity to power lines and any increased risk of childhood cancer. (See reference 3)

Considerations

• The conclusions coming forth from researchers on this topic have, at times, been contradictory and confusing. The WHO however, points out that many recent studies conducted with healthy volunteers have concluded that there is no danger posed by living close to power lines, as these emit electromagnetic fields that are well below any danger threshold. (See reference 3) Still, for those who remain concerned about potential hazards, it might be prudent to avoid moving next to any high-voltage lines.