Ask A Scientist© Environmental Science Archive

Author:      neiter day
Is there new information about the high power lines and its effect on the 
human body?

Response #:  1 of 3
Author:      gary e myers
It depends on what you mean by "new."  The best all-around summary I have seen 
is now several years old.  If you are really interested, check out the series 
of articles in Science: September 7, 1990 (page 1096); 9/21/90 (page 1378); 
and 10/5/90 (page 23). This series of articles is a fairly complete, non-
biased overview that is still very pertinent even though it is now more than 3 
years old.  There continue to be reports that more evidence has been found 
that exposure to 60 Hz fields is somehow linked to various types of cancer.  
However, the links are extremely weak and the relative risks that are found
are quite low.  This is a very complex issue that has been clouded by 
sensationalistic news reports.  Although I do not have the actual "score," it 
appears that the number of major studies that have found a link are about 
offset by the major studies that have found no such link.  When reading or 
watching the news, it is well to keep the following in mind:  (1) it is 
IMPOSSIBLE to prove that anything is completely safe; (2) studies that find a 
positive effect are more likely to receive attention from both the press and 
the scientific community, and indeed, are more likely to be published in the 
first place, than studies which find no effect.  It appears that if there is a 
risk, it is very small, so we should keep on studying the concern, but we 
should not panic.

Response #:  2 of 3
Author:      mortis
The February 19th issue of Science News (page 127) has an article about a 
possible biological mechanism linking electromagnetic fields to human illness.  
For a thorough review of current literature, see the article by Hendee and 
Boteler in the February issue of "Health Physics".

Response #:  3 of 3
Author:      mortis
You can get a booklet from EPA for $1.50 called "EMF in your environment:  
Magnetic Field Measurements of Everyday Electrical Devices" - order number 
143A from R. Woods,  Consumer Information Center - 4A, P.O. Box 100  Pueblo, 
CO 81002.  As I understand it, electric fields from home appliances are much 
stronger than what you might encounter standing near a high-tension power 
line.