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Schools Near Power Lines

Schools near power lines elicit controversy due to children's exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields, according to the World Health Organization. Whether long-term exposure to low level radiation causes damage to children's health or not has been a subject of debate since the 1970s. While research continues to focus on the link between radiation given off by power lines and childhood leukemia, some governments have passed precautionary legislation to address public safety concerns.

  1. Types of Radiation

    • Schools near power lines are exposed to both an electric and a magnetic field, says the World Health Organization. Caused by electrical charges in a power cable and measured in volts per meter, an electric field is typically contained by insulation made of metal or wood. The movement of electric charges also generates a magnetic field, which passes through the cable's physical barrier. The intensity of both fields is proportional to distance. The greater the distance from the power line, the less exposed children are to electric and magnetic fields.

    Health Risks

    • A task group was formed by the World Health Organization in 2005 to evaluate health risks linked to exposure to ELF electric and magnetic fields. After reviewing evidence regarding various health effects, which included cancer, scientists determined that public safety was not at risk due to ELF electric fields. However, scientific research regarding the correlation between prolonged exposure to ELF magnetic fields and childhood leukemia continues to be controversial. The International Agency for Research on Cancer published a document that claimed ELF could be carcinogenic to humans. Although epidemiological studies reveal that children are twice as likely to have leukemia when exposed to magnetic fields caused by power lines, the data remains questionable due to issues with the methodology. Until a groundbreaking study in 2008, scientists could not pinpoint a biological mechanism for the rise in childhood leukemia cases.

    Missing Link

    • Chinese scientist Xiaoming Shen and colleagues at the Shanghai-based Jiao Tong University School of Medicine have identified a defective version of the gene XRCC1, which is known to repair damaged DNA. Although the variant exhibits the same DNA sequence, a single component in the code has been substituted. This tiny mutation causes children who have the defective gene to suffer more DNA breaks. As a result, these children are less resistant to leukemia. Scientists believe that two factors contribute to childhood leukemia. While one factor is the rearrangement of chromosomes when a child is in the womb, the other factor is some environmental trigger that occurs after birth. A DNA break that results from exposure to a power line's magnetic field could be that trigger.

    Solutions

    • Electric utilities in Connecticut are required by law to bury power lines near buildings and areas that children occupy, such as schools, day care facilities and playgrounds, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In comparison to above-ground power lines, below-ground power lines incur a significant expense for most utilities. To the despair of property owners, utilities have opted to create sizable right of ways and buffer zones to minimize the health risks to children from power lines.

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